Nate by Delores Fossen Page A

sunlight here, and she didn’t know if there were other armed guards hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike.
    They ran, zigzagging their way through the trees and underbrush. No sign of his brother or Mel, even though Darcy thought they were heading in the deputy’s direction.
    Nate glanced down at his hip, and for one horrifying moment, she thought maybe he’d been hurt, after all. But she realized his phone was vibrating. He mumbled some profanity and ducked behind a tree.
    “It’s Grayson,” he whispered. Nate didn’t answer it. Instead, he fired off a text: Position compromised. Am on the run.
    Nate shoved his phone back in his pocket and took her by the arm again. He jerked her forward as if ready to run but then stopped.
    “Hell,” he mumbled. His grip melted off her arm.
    Nate lifted his hands in the air. Darcy did, too, though it took her a moment to realize what was going on. She finally saw the gun. Not a handgun, either, but some kind of assault rifle.
    And, just like earlier, it was aimed right at them.
     
     
    “ D ROP YOUR GUN ,” the man ordered Nate. “Take the other one from your holster and drop it, too.”
    Nate couldn’t believe this. He still had blood on his hands from the last attack, and here he was looking down another gun barrel.
    “Now!” the man snarled.
    Nate glanced at Darcy, to let her know he regretted what he had to do, and he dropped the guns. First, the one he’d taken from the dead guard and then his own Glock.
    “Start walking,” the gunman demanded the moment the weapons were on the ground. He used the assault rifle to point the way.
    This guy was even bigger than the other, and he kept several yards between them so it would be next to impossible for Nate to attack him.
    “What do we do?” Darcy whispered. She stumbled, and Nate caught her arm to stop her from falling.
    “We look for an opportunity to escape,” he whispered back. But he knew that wouldn’t be easy.
    The guard was leading them straight to the ranch.
    Darcy’s suddenly rapid breathing let him know that she realized that, as well.
    Nate kept walking and glanced around, hoping he’d see one of his brothers or Mel. But he saw no one, other than the guard who was patrolling the road. Once Darcy and he were out of the trees and into the open, the guard on the porch would spot them, as well.
    But where were Mason and Kade?
    They should have made it to this point now. Nate prayed nothing had gone wrong.
    And then there was Mel to consider.
    If she was still perched on the side of that hill, she might try to take out one or two of the guards when she saw that Darcy and he had been taken captive. That would mean bullets being fired much too close to the house. Nate knew Mel was a good cop with good aim, but he was uneasy enough with Mason’s plan. Nate didn’t want bullets added to this already dangerous mix.
    Darcy stumbled again right as they reached the dirt road that separated the woods from the ranch. Again, Nate caught her.
    “Should I pretend to faint or something?” she whispered.
    “Keep moving!” the guard demanded, and this time he didn’t whisper.
    “Do as he says,” Nate instructed. It appeared the guy had plans to take them inside the house.
    When they stepped out onto the road, the guard moved closer to them. Probably to protect himself. Did he know Grayson and the others were out there? Maybe. Or maybe he was just being cautious.
    The guard by the cattle gate came closer, as well, and he kept his rifle aimed at Darcy and Nate. The man fired glances all around, and his message was clear—if anyone took a shot at him, he would shoot back, and at this range, he wasn’t likely to miss.
    “They’re taking us to the children,” Darcy mumbled. She quickened her pace, hurrying across the yard and to the porch.
    The door swung open, and the two guards forced them inside, following right behind them. They shut the door and immediately started watching out the gaps in the newspapers that