CHAPTER ELEVEN
Seth overheard Carly and Brianna’s conversation as he parked his cruiser behind the firehouse. “I’ll meet you on Third Street.”
“Daddy!” Brianna screamed over the phone. “There’s a man pointing a gun at Mama. He’s getting in the car.”
The call went dead, and Seth’s pulse stuttered. This couldn’t be happening. Rage and fear surged through his veins.
Blaring his horn, Seth backed out of the spot and turned the vehicle around. As he accelerated toward Third Street, he used his radio to call for backup. Then he called Zane at the Solitude PD for help. “I think Carly was carjacked.”
Seth explained in a few sentences as he turned onto Third Street.
Damn it. Where was she?
He put his phone on speaker and used his app to find Carly’s cell. “Zane, she’s headed north on Third Street. She just crossed Oak.”
Seth followed the blinking light on his phone’s display. At the edge of town she turned onto a narrow road that led to a park. After driving through a bend in the road, the dot stopped in a green area by the river. Seth slowed as he made the turn. Woods shielded his car from sight. The road ahead curved, and Carly’s Jeep hadn’t moved on the map. Had she stopped? Was she all right? He parked behind the trees and gave Zane his location.
Drawing his gun, he got out of the vehicle and approached. The Jeep was parked under a big pine. The car door opened and Carly got out. Lifting her hands in the air, she moved away from the vehicle.
A man got out of the passenger seat, his gun aimed at Carly.
Travis White.
Seth’s finger twitched. He wanted to shoot him, but Carly was between them.
Travis was holding Carly’s black purse in his free hand. He dumped the contents on the hood of the Jeep. Fishing though the pile, he shouted, “Where is it?”
“Where is what?” Carly asked.
“The fucking bag. I want Amber’s fucking bag.”
Seth could hear the baby crying through the closed doors of the Jeep. But at least the gun was away from the kids. Seth approached in a crouch. Hiding behind a tree, he waited. All he needed was a clear shot. Then Seth was taking him down. He eased closer, using the underbrush for cover, but it didn’t seem possible to circle around so he’d have an open line between him and Travis. Seth was out of underbrush. The rest of the area was open space.
How fast could he cover the ground between him and Travis? Not faster than a bullet. He’d risk his own life to save his wife in a heartbeat, but what if Travis shot Carly instead? Charging him wasn’t the right move.
“I don’t know,” Carly said. She stepped sideways, obviously trying to draw Travis away from the car. “Didn’t she have her purse with her?”
“Not her purse. The bag that she kept the baby stuff in. It’s black like this one,” Travis screamed as he pointed to Carly’s purse with his damaged hand. In the other he waved his gun, still aimed directly at Carly.
What to do? Seth scanned the surroundings. He needed to distract Travis.
Hoping to draw Travis’s focus away from Carly and the kids, Seth stepped out into the open. “Put down your gun, Travis. You can’t get away.”
“Fuck me.” Travis looked around Carly’s body to see Seth. “I’ll kill her.”
“You don’t want to do that, Travis. You’re in enough trouble already. If you kill anybody, you’ll never see the outside world again. You’ll spend the rest of your life in prison.” If Seth took three steps to his right, he’d have a shot. He eased over.
“Stop!” Travis screamed, his gaze darting back and forth between Carly and Seth. “Don’t move. I swear I’ll kill those kids if you take one more step.” His hand moved, arcing toward the vehicle.
Seth saw the scene in slow motion. Sickness rose in his gut as the barrel of the gun swung toward the children. Desperate for a clean shot, he lunged sideways. He landed on one knee and steadied his aim on Travis.
Carly drew her handgun from under her coat and fired. The shot echoed in the cold woods. Travis dropped the gun and crumpled, one hand pressed to his thigh. Seth raced past his wife and took Travis to the ground. Relief swept through him as he handcuffed Travis and rolled him to his back.
“Are you okay?” Seth called to Carly.
“Yes,” she said in a shaky voice as she moved toward the Jeep. Seth could hear her consoling the children as she crawled into the backseat. “It’s all right. You’re safe.”
Thanks to her. Pride welled up inside Seth. His wife was one of a kind.
Zane pulled up and got out of his police vehicle. He brought the first aid kit from his trunk and applied pressure to the bullet wound on Travis’s leg. “Paramedics are on the way.”
“What the hell is the matter with you, Travis?” Seth asked.
“Ow! This hurts,” Travis whined. “I can’t believe she shot me.”
Seth had no sympathy. “You pointed a gun at the children, and you’re surprised she shot you?”
“I wouldn’t have actually shot them,” Travis said.