Page 72 of Ransom for His Secret Son

Eloise let out a sigh, as if she was growing tired of their outrage. “I needed to get to Tarrant, and you two were my best shot at making that happen.” She nodded toward Brody. “Zeke planted a tracker on your cruiser. That’s how I knew where you were, where you’d go next. If you got close to Tarrant, I wanted to be able to reach you before you lost him again.”

Langley cursed, holding his injured shoulder as he leaned against his car. “You’re a monster.”

“I’m a mother who loved her son,” Eloise snapped back.

Christina made a raw sound of protest. “You leaked the story about Brody’s twins, didn’t you? That’s how Tarrant knew where to go.”

Eloise didn’t deny it. “Of course I did. I knew if Tarrant saw the story, he’d come after Brody and Remi, and it worked.” She narrowed her eyes at them in disappointment. “But you two wasted the opportunity. Instead of taking him down, you were too focused on saving the babies.”

Remi’s stomach twisted with the realization that Eloise had calculated every step of this mess, manipulating all of them. “You left the first twin in the cemetery, didn’t you?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

Eloise lifted her chin. “No, but Zeke did. He was the one who posed as John Smith. I told him where to leave the child so you’d be the one to find him.” Her lips curled in a slight smirk. “You were the only one who ever got close to capturing Tarrant. I knew you’d never let this go once you found the baby.”

Remi’s fingers tightened around her gun, her fury threatening to explode. “You used innocent lives, babies, to lure a killer. You don’t get to act like you’re some grieving mother just trying to do the right thing.”

Eloise’s cold gaze flicked to her. “And yet, here we all are, standing right in front of the SOB. You can hate me all you want, but at least I got results. I set a plan in motion and covered my tracks by getting rid of anyone who could point the finger at me.”

Before Remi could respond, Tarrant let out a dark chuckle. “I’ve got to say, Eloise,” he mused, “you’re even colder than I gave you credit for.” His smile widened, his grip on Maria tightening. “And you’re still not going to get what you want.”

He jerked Maria roughly, pulling her closer as a shield. “I told you the rules. You got your confession. Now, let’s see if you’ve got the nerve to take the shots.”

Eloise didn’t hesitate. She raised her gun, aimed and fired.

The first shot missed, embedding into the wooden frame of the inn’s entrance.

The second shot clipped the edge of Tarrant’s helmet with a sharp metallic ping. He let out a pained shout, his body jerking as the impact sent him stumbling onto the ground. He managed to drag Maria down with him, keeping his gun pressed against her temple.

Remi’s breath caught. The bullet hadn’t penetrated the helmet, but she knew enough about ballistics to know that a shot like that could cause a concussion or even knock someone unconscious if it hit at just the right angle.

But Tarrant was still very much conscious.

And still just as dangerous. Maybe even more than he had been seconds earlier.

Gritting his teeth, he sucked in air, his body swaying slightly as he tried to recover. His fingers tightened on Maria’s shoulder as he cursed Eloise through ragged breaths. Maria sobbed, her body trembling in Tarrant’s grip.

Remi could see the moment Tarrant forced himself to push past the pain, his hand shaking slightly as he adjusted his grip on the gun. And then he lifted it. This time, aiming directly at Eloise.

“Well, lady,” Tarrant growled, “now it’s my turn.”

Brody muttered a curse under his breath. “I can’t let this go on.”

Remi knew he wasn’t saying that for Eloise’s sake. Not after what she had done, what she had risked with his sons. But another shot in this mess could kill Maria. Or Christina. Or even one of them if this turned into a gunfight.

Tarrant adjusted his grip on his gun, his eyes burning with rage as he steadied his aim on Eloise. His finger tensed on the trigger.

“Everyone down!” Brody shouted.

Then he moved. Brody came out of cover, raising his gun in a split second, and took the only shot he had. A clean one straight at Tarrant’s foot.

The bullet hit with a sickening crack.

Tarrant howled in agony, his knee buckling as he collapsed farther, his grip tightening on Maria as she screamed.

“You son of a—” Tarrant gasped through his pain. “I’ll kill her. I swear, I will.”

Remi’s heart pounded. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. If he lost Maria, he lost his human shield. Tarrant had to know that. But then his face twisted in fury, and he snapped his gun up. Not at Maria this time.

But toward Brody.