Page 86 of Two Favors Repaid

God.

The world came back into focus. He heard Emma’s screams and Ford’s laugh.

“Come on, Hope, get up. We’re going for a walk.”

Emma reached out to him and helped him up. At some point while he’d been choking, Ford had uncuffed her from the pipe. Her left wrist was bruised and inflamed. Rob focused on that anger as he stood. He leaned on Emma for an instant until he was sure his legs would hold him.

From the doorway, Ford waved the little black box at him.

“Remember, Hope, I still have this. Next time, I’ll put it up to seven. I’ve heard men lose control of their bladder at five.”

Chapter 31

Rob

Rob and Emma stepped out of the cabin onto the porch. Emma’s steps were tentative, like a young colt. Rob realized how hard the last couple days had been on her. He walked slightly behind her, hyperaware of Ford and Melody’s guns trained on them.

It’s almost over.

Outside, everything was quiet. It was still dark, but it was the kind of dark that knew it was on its last legs, about to give way to morning.

There were two vehicles in the clearing. One was the patrol car. The other one was the chopper, which filled up a quarter of the clearing space. Rob recognized the shape in the cockpit. It was Darryl.

He swallowed hard.

Darryl had a private helicopter pilot license, but there was no way he was the best pilot the FBI had found for the job. There was only one reason Darryl would have volunteered to fly the chopper. He was the last resort. The one who wouldn’t let that chopper land if it meant Ford and his girlfriend got to go free.

Rob looked back at the patrol car, parked sideways.

“What the fuck is that,” Ford boomed. “Do you want them to die?”

Natalie peeked out from behind the open door. “I’m right here, Ford. Alone, just like you asked,” she said meekly.

Natalie doesn’t have a meek bone in her body.

“I didn’t ask that you bring a fucking car,” Ford said.

Natalie continued speaking in the same gentle tone. “Let them go, Ford. The chopper is right there, just as you asked.”

“Go down the steps,” Ford ordered.

Rob felt Ford’s sharp breaths behind him. The man was only just realizing what a clusterfuck this was. Perhaps the chopper had sounded good in theory, and he was only now realizing that his chances of getting away were nonexistent.

He and Emma stood side by side in the clearing.

The next instant, Ford and Melody struck. Melody grabbed Rob from behind. Her gun pressed hard into his back. Rob knew she wasn’t strong enough to hold him. Chances were fifty-fifty that he’d get shot. Those were better odds than he’d faced all night.

Then he looked to the side and his blood went cold. Ford held Emma against his body. He pulled hard enough on her neck that she was forced to stand on her tiptoes, his gun pressed to the side of her head.

“Give me a reason to shoot, Natalie. I think I would enjoy that.”

“You don’t need to hurt her, Ford. The chopper’s right there, as you requested.”

“Come out where I can fucking see you, Sheriff,” Ford said. Emma gurgled as his arm tightened even harder around her neck. Her hands went up, ineffectually scratching at Ford’s arm.

Yeah right, like Natalie’s going to—

And then Natalie was out from behind the open door of the car. The sky was getting lighter by the minute. He could see Natalie’s calm expression as well as her prominent belly. She had her gun drawn, the weapon trained on Ford.