High Stakes Gamble

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Kai figured he’d aged ten years in the time it took for him to see Aurora running into the path of the ambulance until he got to her. Dear Lord the woman was fearless. Of course he didn’t blame her. His heart felt crushed hearing Lily calling for them in the background also.

Measuring the distance, he glanced to where one side of the back of the trailer gaped like a black cave.

Son of a gun! Aurora took off again, running straight toward danger. Blood pumping madly, urgency overriding sense, he followed, hauled her from behind and forced her to take cover against the open police car door.

“Quit going solo. We need to work together, form a plan if we intend to get that badass.”

Ham had edged his way over to where they were concealed and he snuck up to join then. “He’s gotten to the cab. If he drives away there will be a chase and who knows what could happen?”

Sure enough they heard the Peterbilt’s engine roar to life and saw stinking black smoke pouring out of his exhaust. Kai grabbed Aurora and pushed her to Ham. “Hold onto her.” Then he ran faster than he’d ever moved in his life. Thank God his legs still worked.

Adrenalin kicking in, strengthening his muscles, he grabbed a hold of the swinging back door and held on for dear life. When the driver twisted the wheel, the door swung closed and he lifted his legs and went with the motion. At the last minute he let go, ending up in the blackness of the trailer.

Screams intermingled with baby’s cries made him move his butt. He saw a flash of color in the dark that drew his eyes. Various bodies huddled together were in the opposite corner. “Get as far back as you can and stay down.” He yelled the words at the same time as he maneuvered his way out of the box and swung up and over onto the roof.

The driver had wheeled the vehicle around to where he could force the blocking, rolled van off the road to clear a getaway path. Kai knew if the dipshit managed a way through, there would be hell to pay.

The sides of the highway were flat and unfenced but a lot of traffic had been held up. Searing pain from his shoulder screamed its fury but just visualizing the potential destruction pushed him on.

Running along the roof on the crazy battering ram, it took all Kai’s efforts to stay upright. He had to keep moving. Just a few more seconds… then he’d be able to jump from the box to the cab.

Praying steadily, throwing in a few cuss words he couldn’t help, he used the handy bars to keep from plummeting under the spinning wheels. Crazy son-of-a-bitch had punched the gas and the truck sounded like it was internally hemorrhaging.

Seconds later, he aimed his body for the driver’s step and grabbed the large mirror as a handhold. “Hey there, how’s it going?” True to his warped sense of humor, he couldn’t shut the sarcasm off.

Shocking the hell out of the Asian a*shole, he shoved his gun through the open window, pushed the muzzle into the driver’s left arm and pulled the trigger.

Quick as a wink, he shot another bullet into the foot on the gas pedal and the truck’s forward momentum slowed instantly, gears grinding noisily. Not taking his eye off the cussing, drooling crybaby, Kai leaned in and grabbed the rifle. He slammed the butt of it into the guy’s head before he threw it out behind him.

With care, Kai stuck his heated gun in the back of his jeans and wrenched open the door on the now lopsided truck. By then, Ham had joined him and took over hauling the weeping fugitive into custody.

Kai bent over, hands on his knees and breathed a huge sigh of relief. The nightmare was finally over.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Aurora disappear into the back of the trailer. He limped over to join her. All he wanted at this moment was to welcome his baby girl and see her nestled safe in her mother’s arms.

A small group of very young females, straggling, dirty, bleeding and in shock had climbed out of the gaping door. Two were supporting another who could barely stand—her beaten body too weak. Another two carried protesting babies, their hungry, frightened wails heartbreaking. The teens were all weeping, some so shocked their vacant stares were even more worrisome.

His beautiful love appeared next holding Lily—except the baby hung limp and unmoving. The shock on Aurora’s face made him swallow twice to clear the moans of grief so he could speak. “Ahh…” He couldn’t speak. Words wouldn’t squeeze through a throat clogged with tears. His legs began to let him down.

“Kai don’t!” Aurora screamed. “It’s not Lily.” She clutched the lifeless child to her breast and swayed back and forth, and then she fell to her knees. In a voice thick with agony, she whispered. “God help us, Lily isn’t here.”