Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

B ailey had been staring out the window and praying over her boys as well as the officers who were out there trying to find them. It seemed like forever ago that they, along with Nate, had hiked the little path that led away from her yard and into the trees behind it. She pictured her boys running beside each other, excited to see the barn, and fought against another round of tears that threatened to fall at any minute.

That's when she saw movement at the tree line. A moment later, Jordan's form ran into view as he raced down the path toward the house as fast as he could.

"Nate! It's Jordan!"

She immediately ran for the back door and flung it open, aware of Nate's footsteps right behind hers. When she reached Jordan, she went to her knees and gathered him close. She took in everything about him, from the smell of his hair to the way his little arms wrapped around her neck.

"Are you okay?" She shifted him away from her just enough to be able to look him over. She ran her hands down his arms. "Are you hurt? "

Nate placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and looked in the direction he'd come from. "Jordan, where's Seth?"

The poor boy's face was beet red as he sucked in air to catch his breath. Dirt mixed with tears had created muddy tracks down his cheeks. He pointed to the trees. "He told me to run."

Bailey's stomach clenched. "Who? Did Seth tell you to run?"

Jordan nodded. "Seth kicked the bad guy." He coughed and took in another breath. "Then told me to run home." His wide eyes filled with tears that shattered Bailey's heart.

Nate crouched down in front of him. "Was Miss Rachel the bad guy?"

With a shake of his head, Jordan pointed toward the trees again. "He got mad and tried to get Seth."

Bailey cradled her son's sweet face in her hands. "You're doing a great job, Jordan. Where is Seth? Do you know where he went?"

"The bad guy chased him. To the Hidden Barn." His chin quivered, and Bailey pulled him close again.

Nate reached down and helped her stand. "Take him in the house and lock all the doors. Stay inside." He gripped her arm and met her gaze, his own fierce with determination. "I'll find Seth."

All she could do was nod before he took off at a run, his gun in one hand and the radio in the other. "This is Nate. We have Jordan, but Seth is being pursued by a man near the old barn. I'm heading that way now, and I need backup…" His words faded as he disappeared into the brush.

"Come on, baby." Bailey scooped him into her arms and ran for the house. As soon as they were inside, she closed and locked the door, then made sure the same was true for the front .

Minnie started licking Jordan's arms and face as soon as Bailey set him down. The little boy wrapped his arms around the dog's neck.

"Honey, I'm going to get you a glass of water, and then I need you to tell me everything that happened."

Nate was thankful he'd gone for a walk on this path the other day because he knew exactly how to get to the old barn. He ran, his boots pounding the rock and dirt path until something above the trees caught his attention.

Smoke. It filled the sky. "Jenny, this is Nate. I'm seeing a lot of smoke ahead. The barn may be on fire. We're going to need support from the fire department ASAP."

"I'll make the call."

"I'm almost there. Going radio silent." Nate didn't wait for confirmation before he turned his radio off as he approached the bend in the path right before the old barn. Officers were on their way. With his gun drawn, he approached the barn cautiously. He needed to know where Seth was, and he had no idea whether Jeremy was armed or not.

He crouched behind a tree where he could see the barn. There were no visible flames, but smoke, dark and oppressive, billowed out and up. It probably didn't take much to get the old wood burning.

"Let me go!" Seth's voice came from the other side of the barn.

Nate ran in a crouch across the space between the tree line and the side of the barn closest to him. Please, Lord, help me get to Seth in time. Keep him safe. He proceeded down the length of the barn until he came to the corner. There, he stepped out just enough to see what was going on.

A man gripped Seth by the upper arm and jerked him close, causing the boy to flinch. "Shut up, kid."

"You don't have to do this, Jer," Rachel pleaded. She was standing on Jeremy's other side, her arms outstretched. "Let Seth go. Give him to me. I'll make sure they let you go before I give him back."

Jeremy laughed, the sound forced and gravelly. "It's too late now. Do you really think the police would trade my freedom for this brat?" He shook Seth. "You promised they would never find out. You said I should trust you." He looked to his right at the burning building and laughed. "There's no way out of this now."

"Please, son. I did everything I could. Think of Rose and the girls. An accident in the past is one thing, but if you hurt Seth, you'll lose everything."

Nate gripped his gun, but there was no way to get a shot off without the risk of hitting Seth if things went wrong.

"I already have, thanks to you." He backhanded his mother, who stumbled and nearly fell. At the same time, Seth threw himself in the opposite direction, causing Jeremy to lose his grip on Seth's arm. Without hesitation, the boy sprinted toward the barn entrance. He skidded as he ran between the falling doors and disappeared inside.

Nate had to get him out of there before the fire caused it to collapse or Seth got himself lost inside.

Nate stepped forward. "Jeremy Price, put your hands in the air."

Jeremy started to raise his hands then reached over and jerked Rachel to her feet so she was between himself and Nate. "You're going to let me walk out of here. "

Rachel's eyes went wide, a red welt beginning to form on her right cheek.

"You know I can't do that."

The sunlight caught on something behind Jeremy, and Nate noticed Paris and Baker approaching. No doubt there were other officers within sight. He kept his eyes trained on Jeremy.

"If you want to see that kid alive again, you will. He's probably baking in there already." Jeremy grinned as though the idea appealed to him. "You can take me on, or you can rescue the brat. The choice is yours."

Out of the corner of his eye, Nate saw Paris give a single nod. Nate re-holstered his weapon and held up his hands. "You're right, Jeremy. You're free to go. Just let me get to Seth. You don't want the murder of a little boy on your hands."

Jeremy sneered. "Good luck." He shoved Rachel away from him and turned to run.

Nate was barely aware of Paris shouting, "Destiny Police Department, put your hands in the air."

He ran to the barn and cautiously stepped between the doors. "Seth! Where are you?" He tried to see inside, but the darkness, plus the smoke, made it impossible. "Seth, it's Nate. We've got the bad guy. You can come out now."

"Help!" Coughing followed the faint cry.

Nate pulled the flashlight from his pocket and flipped it on. Smoke was everywhere, and he had no idea where Seth had gone. "God, please guide me to him." He took several more steps inside. "Seth! Where are you?"

"Nate. Help me!"

He turned in the direction of Seth's voice and found the boy sitting on the ground, his right foot caught in a broken floorboard .

"I can't get it out." He coughed, his eyes watering and tears flowing down his cheeks. "I don't want to stay here anymore."

"Hang in there, buddy. You and I are getting out of this together."

As Nate got closer, he dropped to his knees and then crawled to eliminate the possibility that he, too, might go through the floor. He gripped some of the wood that had trapped the boy's foot and yanked. It took three tries, but a satisfying crack sounded as the wood came free.

"Okay, let's see if we can get your foot out now." He helped Seth's foot through the hole.

Nate coughed as he grabbed the back of Seth's shirt to make sure he didn't lose the boy in the darkness. "Stay on your hands and knees. We're going to crawl out of here as fast as we can. Go!"

Together, they worked their way across the creaking floor toward where Nate knew the door was, even if he couldn't quite see it.

"Walker!"

"We're here." He yelled as loudly as he could. As soon as he saw the light streaming in from outside, he stood and scooped Seth into his arms, and ran the rest of the way.

They burst from the barn to find Paris waiting, relief on his face. "Thank God! You were about to make me play firefighter and come in there after you."

Nate started to laugh but ended up coughing instead. He turned his attention to Seth. "Are you okay?"

Seth coughed and laid his head against Nate's chest. "Did Jordan make it home?"

The boy's concern for his little brother over himself brought tears to Nate's eyes. "Yes, he's home with your mom. I'll bet they'll both be here soon. Are you okay?"

The boy nodded against Nate's chest. "I knew you'd find me."