Love Inspired Suspense April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Laura Scott (free e reader .TXT) 📕

Tension shimmered through the car, tension and that now-oppressive silence that made its own kind of noise. She tried to shake it off, but it clung like a bad smell.

Liam was an intelligent man who was in an impossible situation. If it were her child, what would she do? She honestly didn’t know. How could she? The love between a parent and a child was sacred. She’d always believed that, even with the less-than-perfect relationship she had with her own parents.

She longed to reassure him that everything would be all right, that they would get Jonah back unharmed, but she couldn’t in good faith make those promises. Right now, Liam needed her skills as an agent, not the feelings of a woman, but she was both, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to separate the two.

What was she supposed to do with those feelings? They were messy and unwieldy and altogether unwanted. Honesty forced her to admit that the last wasn’t totally true.

By the creases between his brows, she knew that in his mind Liam was already in the factory, confronting Reva and plotting how to take her, along with any henchmen she might have with her, down.

It didn’t help that she had the feeling he wanted to say something and then clamped his lips shut. When he finally spoke, it was a relief, though the words were rough and uneven. “We don’t know what we’ll be walking into. You don’t have to do this.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

“Sorry. Maybe I should just say thank you.”

“Maybe you should.”

“Thank you for that and for not saying we should have called the police.”

“I thought about it,” she admitted.

“But you didn’t. So, thanks.” The gruff tone was so filled with fear and pain that she wondered they both didn’t drown in it.

“I know how you feel,” she said. “Reineke may be okay, but he hasn’t exactly shown himself to be on our side.” She thought of ops with the ATF. “Also, the more people involved, the more things that can go wrong.”

Silence filled the car again.

They parked a distance from the factory and made their way through a heavily wooded forest.

Paige patted her vest. Flash-bangs. Flexicuffs. Several lengths of rope. A snack for Jonah. Her Glock was in the shoulder holster, her clutch piece tucked in one boot. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use any of the weapons, especially in front of Jonah.

The abandoned factory lived up to the reputation of such buildings. An eerie atmosphere surrounded it. Heavy steel doors and barred windows gave it a forbidding air. Desperately she searched for another plan, something that didn’t involve Liam walking into the factory alone. She’d find a back way in and locate Jonah.

She opened her mouth, intent on convincing him to let her go with him, when he put a finger to her lips.

“Get Jonah out. That’s all you need to do.” Hard lines bracketed his mouth. “Take care of yourself. There’s probably someone with him.”

“Let me go with you. We’ll take care of Reva and then find Jonah. Together.”

“I can take care of myself.” He gave a forced smile, then tapped his chest. “Delta, remember? Do you think I can’t take down one woman?”

She leaned in and touched her lips to his. “I’ll take care of Jonah. You do the same with yourself.”

“Count on it.” He hesitated. “If things go south...”

She didn’t give him the opportunity to finish. Instead, she stood on tiptoe to brush her lips over his. “Nothing’s going wrong. We’re bringing Jonah home.”

She gave him a thumbs-up, wishing she felt as confident as she pretended. Jonah’s life depended upon what she did next.

Liam walked into the factory without any attempt to conceal his entrance. If Reva was here, he wanted all her attention on him. The cavernous room was lit only by two naked bulbs hanging from the ceiling, giving off stingy streams of light.

He walked to the center of the room and said, “Might as well come on out, Reva. I know you’re here.” Automatically, he slipped into his Delta unit commander’s voice.

No answer.

Had he and Paige been wrong? They’d followed a hunch, a reasonable one, but it was a hunch all the same.

He tried again. “I’m not surprised you’re afraid to show yourself. Only a coward kidnaps an innocent child and then hides behind him.”

Reva appeared from behind a stack of wooden crates. “Not very smart, speaking to the person who holds your child that way.” She huffed out an annoyed breath. “You couldn’t have known it was me.”

Liam did his best to keep his focus on Reva rather than on the gun she held with such casual ease, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off the .357 Magnum. With a short four-inch barrel, the old revolver was capable of punching a hole right through a man.

It wasn’t a small gun, but she held it with an effortlessness that spoke of familiarity.

She followed his gaze. “You like my little toy? It belonged to my father. He gave it to me when he and my mother sold me the house.” She shook her head at her own musings. “Enough of that. There’s no way you could have known it was me.”

“But I did.”

“How?” Annoyance was ripe in her voice. “Come on. Admit it. You were guessing.”

“You used the phrase easy-peasy on the phone. You’re the only one I know who says that.”

Chagrin crossed her face. “Two little words. That was careless on my part,” she said. “And I tried to be so careful.” A spiteful little smile touched her mouth as though she was reluctantly admiring a despised enemy’s cleverness.

Liam stared at her in amazement. “That’s what you’re upset about? What about killing three people and trying to kill Paige and me and kidnapping my son?”

She snapped her fingers, the gesture clearly dismissing the lives she’d taken. “Speaking of Paige, where is your partner? You two seemed joined at