No. She would tell her child about the good she had seen in Slade. How he had helped the Colby Agency a couple of times. How he had made Maggie feel special as no one else ever had. Those were the things she would tell her child when the time came.

Maggie closed her eyes and thought of all the nursery rhymes her mother used to tell her and her sisters. And the ones she'd heard her sisters tell their children. She smiled as the singsong voices whispered through her mind. Whatever happened at the end of this journey, she wanted her last thoughts to be of home and family. Slade's image loomed amid the others.

Him, too. He would always be a part of her.

SLADE LAY IN THE DITCH AND waited. According to his calculations the SUV would be pa.s.sing this position within the next three minutes. A rifle would have served this purpose better, but he didn't have that luxury. The handgun would have to do.

He'd hidden his Jeep well off the road behind an abandoned gas station. The cover it provided had been the determining factor in choosing this location. On this leg of the road there were little options for cover. He had been in place long enough for any dust his arrival had stirred to settle.

Sunrise was a full half hour away, but that would work to his advantage. He needed every possible advantage.

A sound tagged his attention. He c.o.c.ked his head and listened. The distant roar of an engine warned that a vehicle approached from the west. It had to be them. This remote section of road had few travelers, particularly at this hour.

His muscles tensed in preparation for battle. The headlights came into view over a distant rise. His finger snugged against the trigger.

The SUV grew closer. Slade had to aim carefully. His guess was that Maggie would be restrained in the backseat or the cargo area. Keeping gunfire away from those areas was imperative.

Closer. Don't act yet. Hold your position.

He pulled the night-vision goggles into place and avoided looking directly at the headlights. The glare made wearing the goggles uncomfortable.

Closer.

He pressed the trigger, putting a bullet through the driver's window, hopefully into the b.a.s.t.a.r.d's head. The SUV swerved right. He took out the front driver's-side tire, then the rear tire on the same side. The SUV b.u.mped over the rough terrain on the other side of the road, then jolted to a stop.

Slade moved. If the other guy had a chance to get behind the wheel, he would take off.

He rushed across the road, his dark clothing allowing him to move unseen.

Activity in the vehicle snagged his attention. He couldn't make out what was happening, but he felt confident the driver's sidekick was attempting to take control of the SUV.

A scream rent the air.

Maggie!

Slade ran harder.

A shot hit the ground next to him and he dived for the dirt and rolled.

More shots puffed in the air, the silenced weapon taking potshots at the threat the shooter couldn't quite see. These men were skilled marksmen. The darkness was all the advantage Slade had.

He crawled forward, moving quickly toward the opposite side of the vehicle.

A door slammed on the other side of the vehicle. Maggie screamed again.

He'd dragged her out of the SUV.

d.a.m.n.

Slade curled into a ball behind the rear driver's-side wheel. Maggie was pleading with the guy to let her go. Slade tuned out the fear in her voice.

"Come out where I can see you," the man shouted, "or I'll kill her."

Maggie cried out in pain.

Fury tightened Slade's jaw. His instincts told him that the guy wouldn't dare kill her. That he likely had very specific orders about Maggie. But a.s.suming that the man wouldn't panic was a dicey approach.

Slade took the risk. "Let her go and I'll let you live."

His enemy laughed. "I've heard that from more than one man before he died."

Slade leaned past the wheel and fired a shot. He hit the gunman in the ankle thanks to the night-vision goggles. The next scream wasn't Maggie's.

Moving quickly, Slade rounded the vehicle and leveled a bead on the guy wrestling to keep Maggie from escaping.

d.a.m.n. She needed to be still.

The guy sensed Slade's presence, let go of Maggie and pulled off a shot. Slade fired back and dropped him in one shot. Maggie scrambled away.

"It's okay now," he a.s.sured her. He checked the man on the ground. He was dead. Slade pushed up the goggles and went to Maggie.

She screamed when he touched her. His chest ached at the sound. "It's okay. It's me." He untied the bag and pulled it from her head. She trembled. He helped her to her feet. "Hold on and I'll cut your hands free." He fished the knife from his pocket and carefully, using his fingers to check before sliding the blade between her skin and the ropes, cut the bindings. Dawn had broken but it was still d.a.m.n dark.

Maggie swayed as she faced him, then dived into his arms. She sobbed against his shoulder. She whispered over and over that she'd been afraid he was dead.

He tucked her hair behind one ear and manufactured a smile, whether she could see it or not. "We have to get out of here."

She nodded her understanding.

"You injured?" He held her at arm's length and tried to check her for injury, but there wasn't enough light.

"I'm okay." She scrubbed her hands over her face, then pressed one to her stomach. "I'm okay."

She might not be injured, but she was far from okay. Slade shoved his weapon into his waistband and draped an arm around her shoulder to usher her forward. The sooner they were in that Jeep and out of here, the better.

A distinct hiss dislocated the silence. Hot metal sliced through his left biceps.

Slade pushed Maggie to the ground, simultaneously reaching for his weapon and whirling to face the threat. He fired into the SUV three times.

The report of his weapon echoed in the distance, then silence reigned once more.

No return fire. Moving cautiously, he approached the vehicle and peered inside. This time the driver was done. Slade swore. He should have checked after putting the other guy down. Another mistake. His arm burned like h.e.l.l.

No time to deal with that right now.

Maggie was already back on her feet by the time he reached her.

She gasped at the tear in his sleeve that revealed the slash in his flesh.

"It's not as bad as it looks."

At the rate he was going, he wasn't going to live to take down the Dragon.

MAGGIE ALLOWED HIM TO USHER her away from the SUV. Her head spun with all the questions she wanted to ask. How had he found her? How had he learned that she had been abducted? Did he know about Lavena and Ramondo? She couldn't find her voice or the brainpower to put the questions into words.

He ushered her across the road and in the direction of a long-closed gas station. Dawn crept across the desert, garishly highlighting the boarded-up windows and graffiti of the abandoned business. Behind the building a Jeep waited.

Slade helped her into the pa.s.senger side of the Jeep, then climbed behind the wheel. "Do you need me to drive?" She'd finally stopped shaking. Her brain was attempting to function once more. He had to be in pain.

"I'm good."

She didn't argue with him. Even she recognized that putting as much distance as possible between them and here was imperative.

Maggie relaxed against the seat. Her wrists burned, but she didn't care. Slade had rescued her. Her baby was safe and he was alive.

And they were together.

But how long would that last?

She turned to him. The rising sun shone on his dark hair and his beard-shadowed jaw. Her heart squeezed painfully. How would this end? If only he would let her call the Colby Agency...maybe they could help.

Only one way to find out. "We should take care of your arm."

"Eventually."

She glanced over the seat and noted the backpack. "No first aid supplies?"

He shook his head. "We'll stop farther down the road."

Maggie stared forward. She bit her lip and dredged deep for courage. Just do it. "I believe the Colby Agency would be able to help us."

The silence that followed was not what she'd expected.

She gave him a little time to absorb the idea, then she added, "Victoria and Lucas have the best team. They work all sorts of cases."

More of that silence. Not a no, exactly. Just a no comment.

She spotted a building coming up on the right. Squinting hard, she made out the name on the sign. It appeared to be a convenience store and gas station. One that wasn't boarded up.

"We should stop and get something for your arm."

Without responding, he slowed and made the turn. When she reached for the door handle, he stopped her. "No phone calls."

Maggie nodded. For now. She would pursue that avenue again as soon as they were safe.

The word echoed in her head as she strode to the entrance of the convenience store. Would either of them ever be safe again?

She smiled for the clerk behind the counter. The girl was young. Seemed a heck of a place for a young girl to work. Way out here in the middle of nowhere. Maggie gathered what appeared to be peroxide, antibiotic ointment, over-the-counter pain medication and an array of bandages. They didn't have gauze or tape. On second thought, she grabbed a small package of feminine-hygiene pads and a couple of bandannas.

After placing the items on the counter, she produced another smile for the clerk. "Do you speak English?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. Can I help you?"

The urge to ask for a phone...to break down and tell someone how killers were chasing them stole Maggie's voice for a moment.

She cleared her throat. "This is peroxide? For cleaning a wound?"

"Yes."

They went through the other items to be sure Maggie had what she needed. At the last second she grabbed some bottled water and snacks. Before the clerk finished tallying up the bill, Maggie added two cups of coffee.

She carried the two brown paper bags to the Jeep and climbed in. Once she'd put the bags on the floorboard, she pa.s.sed a coffee to Slade and cradled one for herself. It wasn't until that moment that she realized how cold she was. She was freezing.

Slade hit the road again before she could argue. "What about your arm?" She needed to bandage it up at the very least.

"We'll get to that."

She knew better than to try to change his mind.

"Where are we going?" She was utterly lost. Being blindfolded hadn't helped, but since she'd never been to Mexico before she knew nothing about the area.

"Someplace I hope they won't find you."

That he wanted to hide her away again so he could go off like a lone wolf to complete his quest irritated her. He still hadn't answered her question about calling the Colby Agency. "Why can't we get help?" It made total sense to her. As evil as his mother was, she wasn't invincible. Just because she had escaped the law so far didn't mean she would forever.

"I explained the answer to that question already. They can't help us. No one can." He didn't meet her eyes, just kept his attention fully on driving.

Maggie refused to believe what he said.

Whether he agreed or not, first chance she got she was calling Victoria.

Chapter Twelve.

7:45 a.m.

"What have you done?"

Alayna turned from the window to meet her mother's fierce glare. She had been expecting this confrontation for the last hour. Her brother had had time to intercept the men who had taken his woman. Apparently he had been successful.

"What's happened?" Alayna adopted an expression of innocence and surprise. "Is he here?" she added for good measure, infusing hope into her tone. Her mother was aware that she cared deeply for her brother.

Camille strode up to Alayna, her fury radiating in violent waves. "Siegel called to say they were ambushed en route. We've been unable to contact him since the initial call."