Kidnapping in Kendall County. Delores Fossen

ready to bolt toward the vehicle.

      Austin stopped him.

      He fired a shot, sending the man back behind the tractor. But he didn’t stay put. The guard and his partner started firing. Nonstop.

      All the bullets were aimed at Austin.

      Walter kept crawling, coming closer to the house, and Rosalie saw him lift his rifle toward Austin. She wasn’t sure Austin would be able even to see the man, and it was a risk she couldn’t take.

      Rosalie didn’t think beyond giving the babies the best possible chance at escape. She opened the kitchen door, and the fridge, as well, so she could use it for cover once she fired.

      Walter spotted her right away and pointed the gun at her. However, she pointed her gun right back at him.

      And she got off the first shot.

      She hadn’t aimed for any particular part of him, but the bullet slammed into either his chest or his shoulder, causing him to drop back to the ground.

      God, had she just killed a man?

      As horrible as that thought was, it would be worse if Walter had managed to shoot Austin, Janice or the babies.

      The other guards cursed at her, and both fired into the house. Even over the sound of those shots and her own heartbeat crashing in her ears, she heard Austin.

      “Get down!” he yelled.

      Rosalie didn’t do that. She fired another shot at the guards. Austin did the same, and it kept the men pinned down long enough that they weren’t able to stop Janice from escaping. Rosalie caught just a glimpse of the truck taillights as the nanny sped away.

      The relief flooded through her.

      And the fear.

      What if the guards had already managed to call someone to get them out there to the road? And what if they managed to stop the truck? She doubted they would hurt the babies. There was too much money to be made from them.

      But they’d kill Janice.

      “You’re both gonna die!” one of the guards shouted.

      The threat had no sooner left his mouth when Austin fired again. Two shots. One for each guard. And both men dropped to the ground.

      Everything seemed to freeze. The cold rain. The echo of those shots. The lifeless guards. Everything except Austin. With his gun still pointed at the guards, he jumped onto the porch and went straight toward her.

      “Whoever’s on the other end of the cameras will send someone after us,” Austin warned her. “We have to move fast.”

      Rosalie knew he was right, but like the rain and the guards, she felt frozen. Austin helped with that, too. He took her by the arm and ran out of the house with her. Not toward the driveway, where Janice had just driven away. But rather toward another barn that looked ready to collapse under the weight of an old, sagging roof.

      “Firing at those guards was stupid,” Austin snarled. “You could have been killed.”

      She wanted to argue, wanted to remind him that he could have been killed, as well, but Austin kept her moving. Running. And when he threw open the barn door, she saw the other truck.

      “Where’s the nanny?” he asked, shoving her inside the vehicle.

      “I told her to drive to a police or fire station.”

      If he approved of that, he didn’t say. Instead, he hotwired the truck, fast, the engine roaring to life, and he slammed on the accelerator. The back tires skidded on the wet, slippery ground, but Austin quickly gained control.

      “I’ll need to drop you off somewhere.” He spared her a glance before those lawman’s eyes kept watch around them again. No doubt for anyone following them. “I have something I need to do.”

      “Something involving this baby farm?”

      He didn’t answer her right away. “Yeah.”

      There was a lot of emotion in that one-word response. Rosalie didn’t know Austin that well, but she’d been engaged to an FBI agent. Was the sister of one. She knew the personal risks they were willing to take.

      “Your cover’s been blown,” she reminded him.

      Well, it had been if any of those guards had survived or if the people behind those cameras had been able to figure out what was going on. Heaven knew who was already on the way out to intercept them.

      Austin just shook his head. “I have something important to do. Keep watch,” he added, his voice clipped now.

      She did. Rosalie kept her gun ready, but that didn’t stop the feeling that Austin was withholding something she needed to know.

      “There’s a safe house about ten miles from here,” he explained. “I’ll drop you off there and call someone to come and get you. Seth can put you in protective custody.”

      Because she would now be a target. Rosalie didn’t welcome that, but she’d known it was a risk before she’d ever started this.

      “Where are you going?” she pressed.

      Austin mumbled something she didn’t catch. Cursed. Then, he shook his head. “There’s a second place. Not too far away. Once I have you safe, I can go there.”

      It took a moment for that to sink in. “You mean another baby farm?”

      “Yeah. It’s a lot bigger than this one. Maybe even the command center for the entire operation.”

      Mercy. This was exactly what she’d been looking for. Despite the ordeal of the shooting and the breakneck speed that Austin was driving, Rosalie could feel a glimmer of hope.

      “I haven’t been able to get onto the grounds of this second house to access the records,” he continued, “but I know there are babies being held for processing. If the guards heard about what just happened here, they’ll shut down that place and move the babies.”

      Austin’s gaze slashed to hers for just a second. “My nephew could be there.”

      “And my daughter. Or at least the records to show me where she was taken. I have—”

      “I can’t take you with me. It’s too dangerous.”

      Rosalie heard the words, and she knew they were true. But that didn’t matter. “I’m going with you. You can’t stop me.”

      That brought on some more profanity. “It’s dangerous,” he repeated.

      “Do you really think I care about that now or that I want you to care about it?” Despite the high speed, she scooted closer to him, so he could hopefully see the determination in her eyes. “Put yourself in my place.”

      Her voice broke. And the blasted tears came. Tears that wouldn’t do Sadie any good, so Rosalie tried to choke them back.

      “I have to find my daughter,” she managed to say. “And you’d just be wasting time taking me to the safe house. The guards could be moving the babies and records right now. If that happens, we might never find them.”

      Again, no immediate answer. He just volleyed glances among the road, their surroundings and her, but Rosalie saw the exact moment that he realized she was right.

      “You’ll stay in the truck,” he snapped. “And don’t make me regret this.”

      Rosalie didn’t say anything. Didn’t want to utter a word that would make him change his mind. She only wanted to get to the house and see if her daughter was there.

      Or any babies for that matter.

      Yes, Sadie was her priority, but she couldn’t bear the thought of any child or parent going through this.

      Austin took the next turn off the road. Then, another. Thankfully, he seemed to know exactly where he was going. That would