Sawyer by Delores Fossen Page A

you’d tell me if you could. Police hold that type of information back sometimes.”
    “Sometimes,” he repeated, continuing to watch her and continuing to give her a suspicious once-over.
    No crack in the composure this time. Diane issued a crisp goodbye and walked out, her pricey heels clicking on the tile floor.
    “You don’t trust her?” Cassidy asked.
    “The jury’s still out on that.” He wasn’t about to distrust her only because of the things Willy had said. Because Sawyer definitely didn’t trust April’s tattooed ex.
    Sawyer glanced at the interview room. “I’ll call one of the other deputies, and once he’s here, we can leave for the ranch.”
    Where maybe Cassidy would get some rest. She looked ready to fall on her face. Sawyer took out his phone, but Cassidy’s rang before he had a chance to make the call. There was no name or number. The caller had blocked the info.
    He pushed the button to answer it and put the call on speaker so Cassidy could hear.
    “Ms. O’Neal?” the caller said in a mechanical voice. It was obviously being filtered through some kind of voice-alteration device. “We’re the people who have your brother.”
    “Is Bennie all right?” she immediately asked.
    “For now. You were late bringing that photo, and it’s going to cost you. Or better yet, it’ll cost your brother—”
    “No, please. Don’t hurt him.”
    “We won’t if you do exactly as we say. Tomorrow morning at ten, you and Agent Sawyer Ryland are to deliver the money to us. We’ll be calling back with details of the location.”
    “We need to speak to Bennie,” Sawyer insisted. “To make sure he’s still alive.”
    “Tomorrow you’ll get the chance to talk to him and see him if you follow the rules. A half-million dollars, and only the two of you will come for the exchange. Mess it up again, Ms. O’Neal, and you’ll get your brother killed.”
    “Please, let me talk to him,” Cassidy begged.
    But she was talking to the air because the kidnapper had already hung up.

Chapter Six
    Cassidy stepped into the sprawling ranch house just ahead of Sawyer, and the first thing she heard were the sounds of children.
    Lots of them.
    “This way,” Sawyer said, and he led her down a corridor and to a massive playroom, where she spotted a man and three kids. Two dark-haired toddler girls and a little boy about the same age. The room was filled with all sorts of toys, books and games, and there were several playpens and cribs positioned against the walls.
    The man was stretched out on the floor while the children ran circles around him. Occasionally, the man would reach up and goose out of them on their bellies. They were clearly enjoying the game because they howled with laughter.
    Despite the happy scene, Cassidy’s heart dropped when she didn’t immediately see the baby, but then she spotted her in a wicker basket on the table next to the man. She was sound asleep, though Cassidy didn’t know how she managed it with all the noise.
    “This is Gage,” Sawyer said, tipping his head to the goosing man. “Another cousin. He’s a Silver Creek deputy, and the father of that one.” He pointed to the boy. “His name is Luke. And the other two are Bree and Kade’s twins, Leah and Mia. Folks, this is Cassidy.”
    Gage sat up, flashing a smile that was familiar. Apparently, it was a Ryland trait, because she’d seen the same smile on Sawyer. She’d called it a bedroom smile because that’s exactly where it had caused her and Sawyer to land.
    Cassidy pushed aside the heat that came with those memories and wondered when she was ever going to forget them. Maybe once she managed to put some space between Sawyer and her, but heaven knows when that was going to happen. She just seemed to keep getting in deeper and deeper with him.
    Now they were supposed to do a ransom drop together.
    That definitely wouldn’t give her any space.
    “I see you got babysitting duty,” Sawyer remarked to Gage.
    “Yeah,