Page 55 of Targeted in Silver Creek

She tried not to assume a worst case scenario: that the ranch hands outside the house had all been killed. But it was possible.

“They got her,” a man shouted. He was coughing.

“That was Deputy Norris,” Jesse muttered.

So, not one of the gunmen, and Hanna heard those running footsteps she’d been listening for. Steps in the hall coming toward the nursery.

Jesse turned on the flashlight app on his phone and opened the bathroom door. “Someone took Isabel?” he called out.

“Yeah,” the deputy verified, causing Hanna’s heart to pound even harder. He continued to cough. “Someone broke through the front door and threw in more tear gas. I couldn’t see, but whoever it was, bashed me on the head and took her. I’m sorry,” he added with a groan. “They took her.”

Even though Hanna wasn’t sure of her mother’s innocence, that still caused her fear to soar. Isabel could be in the hands of killers right now.

“Who took her?” Jesse pressed.

“Couldn’t tell. The person had on a gas mask and was wearing bulky clothes.”

So it could have been anyone. Including Shaw or Marlene. Or someone one of them had hired to do it.

“How bad are you hurt?” Jesse asked the deputy.

“Uh, I think I’m okay,” Norris answered, but he didn’t sound okay at all. He was still coughing. “You should stay put. The tear gas is clearing up some, but it’s still hard to breathe out here.”

Jesse cursed under his breath. “Stay here. I’ll let Norris in here and then try to contact the ranch hands.”

Hanna nodded and fumbled to get her phone from her jeans’ pocket so that she could turn on the flashlight, too. It helped because she could see Evan’s face. Could see that he’d fallen back to sleep. That was something at least. It would have skyrocketed her stress if he’d been terrified and sobbing.

Several seconds later, Jesse rushed back into the bathroom, and he had Norris in tow. There was blood on the side of the deputy’s head and he did indeed look as dazed as he’d sounded.

“I’m so sorry about your mother,” Norris told her.

She nodded and watched as Jesse and the deputy positioned themselves on either side of the bathroom door. They didn’t shut and lock it, probably since this way they’d have a clear line of sight of anyone trying to come into the nursery.

Because the room was quiet now, she heard Jesse’s phone vibrate, a setting he’d likely used so it wouldn’t alert anyone to their position in the house.

“It’s Grayson,” he told her in a whisper.

Even though Jesse hadn’t put the call on speaker, she could still hear Grayson when he spoke. “What’s your status?” Grayson asked.

“Not good,” Jesse replied. “Someone cut the power and used tear gas to get into the house and take Isabel. The person bashed Norris on the head. I think he’s all right,” he added, giving the deputy a glance, “and we’re holding up in the nursery bathroom.”

She wasn’t able to hear what Grayson said next, but she thought he cursed.

“What’s your status?” Jesse repeated to Grayson.

“I’m threading my way through this trail to Hanna’s. So far, no gunmen in sight. When I get to the house, I’ll drive straight to the porch and get as close to the door as possible. We can get Hanna and Evan into the cruiser and take them to the ranch. Then, I can look for Isabel.”

Hanna wanted all of those things to happen. She didn’t want to stay here with Evan. But going outside could be just as dangerous as staying put.

“I’ll be there in about five minutes,” Grayson said before he ended the call.

Five minutes would no doubt seem like an eternity, but Jesse and Norris continued to stand guard at the door.

“I’ll try to get one of the ranch hands to respond,” Jesse explained when he pressed in a number.

She heard the rings and, with each one, the sense of dread inside her grew. Finally, though, someone answered.

But it wasn’t good news.

---