“I cannot believe this!”
“Yeah …” And by this, Range meant the whole ‘daughter’ business. Then that connection fired in his head—her daughter… was Hellqvist’s daughter. He needed to puke.
She gave him an appreciative look. “He’s in the middle of nowhere. Just west of town.”
He headed in that direction, heat of anger thrumming in his veins. “Your daughter. Atia is your daughter.”
Kasra stilled. “He told you.”
“Explains why you dreamed of her.” Why wasn’t he more ticked? “Shouldn’t be surprised. You said you were the Hellqvist’s favorite.” The thought of that jerk getting her pregnant … “He knows you’re the mother?”
She nodded. “He is the reason I had to get her away from Roud. He threatened to use her against me. To force me into silence and into more … compliance. To the captain, she was not an innocent child but a tool, a pawn. Like everyone and everything else.”
The entire time he’d been with her, Range wondered what to do with the experiences she related. Then with his out-of-nowhere feelings. Her saying she loved him. Now this—she’d had a kid by that piece of work.
“You are mad.”
“Yeah.” There was a big chunk of angry, but he understood she hadn’t been able to trust anyone her entire adult life. “Wish you had trusted me with it.” But clearly that wasn’t on the table for them. “I mean, I get it. She’s your daughter.”
Man, that was bitter on his tongue. She had a kid. By a client from Roud.
“I am sorry, Range. I have told no one outside Roud that she is mine. It was too dangerous.” She seemed unusually contrite. “After all that has happened between us, I am sorry that I did not tell you.”
He sighed, wanting to redirect this. “Is this old man bad news? You seemed angry Zahir sent Atia to him.”
“He is old and not the nicest man. Not terrible, but Zahir promised to raise her for me, and I knew he had a good job and home. A family for her to have siblings. I wanted that for her. I wanted her protected and loved, since I could not do that for her.”
She was a mother who wanted the best for her child …
The trip out took them a half hour. He pulled up to the plaster home, the unpaved road laden with chasm-sized holes. Four structures straddled a pen that looked like it had a couple goats and chickens. A man sat in a rickety chair out front, gray-white hair and beard scraggly about his head as he smoked a pipe. He didn’t seem to care that a car was coming up to his house.
“That him?” Range asked. Why did he have an entire armory? Maybe that was just his irritation over this whole revelation. Nah. Something …
“There she is!” Kasra pitched herself out of the car.
“Wait!” Danggit. Range parked and stepped out, leaving it idling in the hopes this wouldn’t take long. Palmed the weapon at his back, watching Kasra hurry toward where a child of about four or five was playing. In the pen. With the goats. Penned up. Like a freakin’ animal!
He wanted to strangle someone. Specifically that old man sitting in a chair smoking a pipe. Who still hadn’t moved or spoken.
Stay back. Let Kas handle this.He leaned on the truck.
Kasra lifted the little girl into her arms, shooting the man a glower and a few stern words.
A large spider scampered across the road in front of Range, drawing his attention. Thought to kill it, but the thing wasn’t hurting anyone. He watched it skitter down the—
He stilled. Tire track. He studied the ground and space around him. Saw evidence of grass trampled by vehicles. Two or three. Recent. Skated a look in the direction of the buildings. “Kas,” he called in warning, drawing his weapon. “Might have—”
Crack! Pop!
“Down! Down!” Range started for her, but a barrage forced him back.
Crouching, moving backward, he fired in the direction of the shots: the lean-to. Needed a better weapon. He double-checked and spotted Kasra hopping from one location to the other with the kid, working her way back to him. The old man—he hadn’t moved. He was dead, probably had been all along. They’d walked straight into an ambush.
He ripped open the door and ruck. Extracted the rifle and vest. Taking a knee, he kitted up. “Kas? You okay?”
A child’s scream rent the day.
Range sighted down the road. Saw Kasra laid out.No!Blood stained her back. “Kasra!” He started for her but the spray of gunfire and logic yanked him back. He had to get to her and the only way he could was with the truck.
