Chapter Two

Even though Joelle hadn't put the call on speaker, Duncan heard the woman's scream loud and clear. Since Joelle had greeted Molly by name, he also had no trouble figuring out that something was seriously wrong.

"Put the phone on speaker," Duncan told Joelle, and the moment she'd done that, he tried to figure out what the heck was going on. "Molly?" he asked.

He could hear what he thought were the sounds of a struggle, but the dispatcher didn't answer. And that caused Duncan to curse. He had every available lawman responding to the situation here at Joelle's. A situation that might escalate even more if the attacker continued to shoot at them. But Duncan knew he had to go to Molly, and he had to do that now.

"Use my phone to let the deputies know that I'm heading to Molly's place," Duncan relayed to Joelle. "I want Luca to follow us as backup."

Of course, that meant he'd be taking Joelle with him since there wasn't time for him to get her safely into a cruiser. He got confirmation of that when he heard Molly scream again. The woman was obviously fighting for her life, and there wasn't a second to lose.

Duncan gunned the engine to get them out of there, and he kept watch around them as he headed for the road. Thankfully, no shots came their way. That was the good news. The bad news was that could mean the shooter had stopped firing so he could go in pursuit of them.

Joelle finished a quick call to Luca to request backup and then went back to her own phone. "Molly?" she tried again.

The sounds of the struggle had stopped. No more screams. Nothing. And that tightened every muscle in Duncan's body. Hell. The sounds of her screams had been terrifying, but the silence was even worse. Because the screams meant she'd at least been alive.

He thought back to the petite, young brunette who'd been a dispatcher for about six months now. She was pregnant, and she wasn't married but had instead opted for artificial insemination to have a child. Molly's parents were dead, and since she had no siblings, she would almost certainly be alone. It was info that everyone in town knew, and it was possible that someone had used that particular info to go after her.

But why?

"This can't be a coincidence," Joelle muttered, taking the words right out of Duncan's mouth.

Yeah, Duncan was leaning that direction as well. Two pregnant women attacked on the same night in the same small town. That would, indeed, be one hell of a coincidence if the incidents weren't related. Still, it was possible that there were two forces at work here. Duncan just didn't know exactly what those two forces were right now, but he'd need to find out and fast.

When there was an attack or kidnapping involving a pregnant woman, it was usually connected to some kind of domestic dispute. In fact, the number one threat to a pregnant woman was being murdered or seriously injured by the woman's partner. But there were also those crimes that involved kidnapping or killing a pregnant woman so the baby could be taken. With Molly so close to giving birth, that was definitely a motive at the top of Duncan's list.

But that didn't explain the attack on Joelle.

She was in her fifth month of pregnancy. Still a long way from delivering their child. A kidnapper would have to hold her for months. Not exactly a comforting thought, but then none of this was anywhere near comfortable.

Duncan cranked up the speed when he reached the road and headed toward town. Since he'd known Molly his whole life, he knew where she lived and didn't have to look up her address. He just drove and tried to figure out how to make this trip as safe as possible for Joelle.

A safety she likely wouldn't want if she was thinking like a cop.

But if necessary, he'd need to remind her that she was on desk duty until the baby arrived. That wasn't a personal preference on his part simply because she was carrying his child. It was standard practice in the sheriff's office, and it was something her father would have insisted on had he still been alive.

Beside him, Joelle continued to try to get some kind of response from Molly by calling out the woman's name into her phone. Molly didn't answer. But there was a response in the form of a dead line. When she tried to call again and got the same thing, Duncan knew that someone had switched off the phone.

"I'll call dispatch to have Molly's phone tracked," Joelle told him.

He could hear the fear and nerves in every word she'd spoken. Fear that was there for a reason because they both knew that whoever was attacking Molly could have also disabled the phone, making it untraceable. Duncan hoped like the devil that hadn't happened, though, because if Molly wasn't home, the phone would be their best bet in tracking her.

Thankfully, there was no other traffic on the rural road at this hour so Duncan continued to press on the accelerator, eating up the distance between Joelle's and Molly's. Luca stayed right behind him in the cruiser.

Duncan's phone rang, and when he saw Deputy Ronnie Bishop's name on the screen, he took the call on speaker. "Is everyone all right?" Duncan immediately asked since he knew Ronnie was at Joelle's.

"So far," Ronnie quickly assured him. "No signs of the shooter, though, and there's been no gunfire since Joelle and you left. No one's attempted to get to the stolen black car, either."

If the gunman had, indeed, been coming after Joelle and him, that would mean he or she had a second vehicle. And likely a partner. Either that or the gunman had positioned a second vehicle earlier and then driven the stolen one to Joelle's. Duncan couldn't think of a good motive for a would-be killer to do that, but the reason could be a clue to who had attacked them and why.

"How many deputies are there?" Duncan asked Ronnie.

"Six, including me. The fire department is here, too, but they're holding off until they get the word from you that it's safe to try to put out the fire."

It wasn't safe. Not with a gunman, maybe two, in the area. Hell, there could be even more than that if this was some kind of coordinated attack. No way could Duncan risk the lives of his deputies and the firemen when Joelle wasn't even there. Yes, she might lose her house to the fire, but the goal was to get everyone out of this alive and then catch the SOB responsible.

"Everyone stays in their vehicles for now," Duncan instructed, "but have two of the deputies go to the end of Joelle's road and keep watch for anyone trying to sneak away from there. Two more should stay put in case the shooter isn't done. Send the other two to Molly's."

If Molly had been kidnapped, or worse, then Duncan figured he was going to need as much help as possible.

Ronnie gave a fast assurance that he'd do as Duncan asked, and they ended the call just as Duncan finally made it to the turn to Molly's. It wasn't a typical subdivision or neighborhood like in a city but rather a spattering of homes that had been built on multi-acre lots. With all the trees and natural landscape, it was more like living in the country, which made for a peaceful lifestyle.

It also meant Molly's neighbors might not have been able to see or hear what was going on.

Added to that, Duncan was well aware that her nearest neighbors were all senior citizens. That was the reason he hadn't called any of them to go check on Molly and try to stop whatever was happening. Duncan hadn't wanted to risk any of them being hurt or killed. This was definitely a situation for law enforcement.

"I want you to stay down," Duncan told Joelle, and he made sure it sounded like the order it was.

She didn't protest. Not with words, anyway. But he knew this was eating away at her. Especially since someone was threatening and maybe had already harmed someone she knew well.

Duncan sped into Molly's driveway, his gaze immediately firing all around. There were no vehicles in front of the house. Nor was there anyone in sight. Just the darkness and the milky yellow illumination coming from the porch light.

"The front door's open," Joelle murmured.

It was. Duncan had noticed that right away, but he aimed a quick scowl at Joelle to let her know if she had seen that, then it meant she wasn't staying down. Joelle muttered some profanity and slipped lower into the seat.

With Luca's cruiser squealing to a stop behind him, Duncan hurried out of the car, and while keeping watch, he ran toward the porch. He couldn't risk sitting around, waiting to see if he could figure out what was going on because at this exact moment, Molly could be inside fighting for her life.

Duncan barreled up the porch steps, taking them two at a time, and pinned his focus to the open door. If Molly's attacker was still in there, he had to be prepared in case the guy shot at him. That's why Duncan tried to listen for any sounds of a struggle or movement.

He heard nothing.

And knew that wasn't a good sign. Ditto for what he spotted on the porch just to the right side of the welcome mat.

Drops of blood.

Duncan was sure that's what it was, and cursing, he stepped around the drops and went inside. Of course, just his mere presence could contaminate the scene, but again, Molly was the priority here. He had to hold out hope that the blood belonged to her attacker, that Molly had somehow managed to fight him off and sent the SOB running.

"Molly?" he called out.

No need for him to stay quiet since there was no element of surprise here. If the attacker was still inside the house, he would have heard the car that Duncan had been driving and the cruiser. Molly would have, too, and that meant if she'd been capable of calling out for help, she likely would have already done it.

Trying to steel himself for the worst but praying for the best, Duncan went into the house, staying low and leading with his gun. His attention whipped to the right, then the left. He took in the toppled lamp on the floor, but it seemed to be the only sign of a struggle.

Room by room, he made his way through the place, recalling the time or two he'd been here with his folks when they'd visited Molly's parents. Years ago, even before Molly had been born. Duncan was thirty-seven and Molly just twenty-four so he'd been plenty old enough to recall coming here for her folks to show off their baby girl. Maybe that was one of the reasons Molly had wanted to raise her child here. Her home. A place where she'd no doubt felt safe.

That last thought twisted his gut into knots so Duncan kept moving, kept searching, all the while listening for, well, anything. In addition to being able to hear anything in the house, he also needed to make sure nothing was going on outside with Joelle and Luca. So far, he wasn't hearing or seeing anything. Nothing out of place except for that lamp.

Until he made it to one of the bedrooms.

Molly's no doubt, and there were plenty of signs of a struggle here. The bed was empty, but the covers had been dragged off, and the clock and lamp that'd almost certainly been on the nightstand were now on the floor.

"Molly?" he called out again and still got no response.

The overhead light was off, but there was a nightlight plugged in the outlet near the door to the adjoining bath. It was enough for him to see more of those blood drops.

Hell.

Duncan moved faster now, checking out the bathroom for any signs of Molly. Nothing. So he kept moving, hurrying to the other rooms. They were all empty, but he got another jolt when he saw the nursery all decked out in shades of pink. Since Joelle's and his baby was also a girl, it made the gut punch even harder.

Pushing that aside, he made his way back through the house and was careful not to touch anything. Whoever had taken Molly might have left prints or some kind of trace evidence in the struggle, and Duncan didn't want to compromise that any more than he already had.

He went back to the porch and saw that Luca was out of the cruiser and near Joelle's vehicle. The deputy immediately looked up at him, but Duncan had to shake his head.

"Molly's not here," Duncan relayed to them. "And there's blood on the porch and in the master bedroom. I want a BOLO for Molly and a CSI team in here right away."

That got Joelle coming out of the car. "There's a garden shed in the back," she said, already moving as if to head in that direction. "Molly could be in there."

Duncan cursed and went after her. "I know about the shed and was about to check it out." He was about to order her back to the car, but she spoke before he could manage to say it.

"I have to help," she insisted.

Joelle wasn't crying. She was too much of a cop for that. But her voice was shaky, and he figured that applied to the rest of her as well. Along with the mother lode of adrenaline, she was also battling the overwhelming fear that a woman they both knew had been kidnapped or killed and that the same thing had nearly happened to her.

"Stay close to me," Duncan finally agreed.

He'd make this search quick so he could get Joelle into at least some minimal cover. Then, he could take her to the sheriff's office while they regrouped and figured out their next move.

As he'd remembered, the shed was in the backyard, not far from the porch that wrapped around the entire house. Duncan made a cursory look of the area, then a quick glance into the shed just to see if by some miracle Molly was hiding there. She wasn't.

"Molly?" he called out one last time.

When he got no response, he hurried back to the car with Joelle and got her inside. "Start calling her neighbors," Duncan instructed. "I want to know if anyone saw or heard anything."

He doubted that'd been the case, though. If so, those neighbors would have already headed over. Still, it was possible that someone had heard something that would give them clues as to who had taken Molly.

There was the howl of sirens in the distance, and Duncan knew it wouldn't be long before more deputies arrived. Good. He'd have them check around the place while he got on the phone with the Texas Rangers and Highway Patrol. Both agencies would get word of the BOLO, but Duncan wanted to emphasize that Molly was pregnant and she worked for law enforcement. Molly was one of them, and that would hopefully get her the highest priority.

Duncan took out his phone, ready to get started on those calls, but he stopped when he caught some movement from the corner of his eye. He pivoted in that direction, in the same motion taking aim with his Glock. Then, he stopped when he spotted something.

The woman walking toward them.

Correction: staggering toward them.

It wasn't Molly. No, this woman was older and had graying black hair that was tangled around her face. She was barefoot and wearing a ripped shirt over stained gray yoga pants.

Duncan's first thought was this was Sandra McCullough, Joelle's mother who'd deserted her family the day her husband had been murdered. No one had seen or heard from her since. But it wasn't Sandra, and Duncan had no idea who she was.

Joelle got out of the car, taking aim as well. So did Luca, but Duncan could see both of the woman's hands, and she wasn't armed. Still, this could be some kind of ploy so he approached her with caution.

"Who are you?" Duncan demanded. "Are you hurt?" He didn't see any signs of injury, but it was possible some of the stains on her clothes were dried blood.

"I'm sorry," the woman said as she came even closer.

That put some ice in his veins. "Sorry for what?" And because it had to be asked, he added. "Are you the one who took Molly?"

She didn't answer but rather just kept walking, her feet dragging through the yard. Her eyes looked vacant. Robotic, even. As if someone had forgotten to turn on a switch. Duncan was betting she'd either been drugged or was in shock.

"This is all my fault," the woman muttered. Her voice was flat and barely a whisper. "Everything that's happening is my fault." She dropped to her knees, her gaze shifting to Joelle. "I'm so sorry, but he wants you dead."

A hoarse sob tore from her throat, and the woman collapsed into a heap on the ground.