Page 73 of Ransom for His Secret Son

And he started shooting.

The gunfire erupted, forcing Brody and Remi to duck back behind cover. Bullets ricocheted off the cruiser but also off some of the stone construction materials, splintering debris into the air. Tarrant wasn’t aiming. He was firing wildly, erratically, desperate to pin them down.

Remi gritted her teeth. They were trapped. And as long as he had Maria, they couldn’t risk taking him out. Unless they found another way.

Gunfire exploded in the air, chaos breaking loose as Christina and Eloise unloaded their weapons at Tarrant. Shouting, Tarrant scrambled into the inn, barely in sight now.

But that still didn’t cause Christina or Eloise to let up.

“Christina and Eloise, stop shooting,” Brody ordered again, voice sharp with authority. “Or I swear I’ll shoot your guns out of your hands.”

Christina hesitated, her breathing ragged. Then, with a snarl, she yanked her finger off the trigger and lowered her weapon.

Eloise didn’t.

She fired again.

Brody didn’t hesitate. He raised his weapon, took careful aim and shot the gun clean out of Eloise’s grip. She let out a sharp scream, clutching her fingers as her weapon clattered onto the gravel.

Tarrant cheered. Actually cheered. “Oh, that’s beautiful. Come on, give me more of that.”

Brody’s eyes were murderous as he shifted his focus onto Zeke. “Restrain your boss. Now. Before she gets us all killed.”

Zeke’s face was like stone, his jaw clenched tight, but he obeyed. He grabbed Eloise’s uninjured arm, wrenching her back toward the car as she shrieked in rage.

Brody’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, keeping his gaze locked on Tarrant but glancing briefly at the screen. A text from Harlan.

Still no clean shot. I want to step out, draw his attention. Maybe he turns, you take him down.

Remi read the message over Brody’s shoulder. She bit her lip, assessing the situation. “I’m not sure Tarrant will go for a distraction like that,” she murmured, keeping her voice low. “He’s no fool. He’ll know it’s a trick.”

Brody blew out a hard breath, his grip tightening on his gun. “Yeah. He probably will.” His voice was tight, edged with frustration. “But we have to do something. Maria’s running out of time.”

Remi’s stomach knotted as she stared at the scene unfolding in front of them. Tarrant was still crouched in the shadowed entrance of the inn, half dragging Maria in front of him like a shield. Blood streaked down Maria’s arm from Christina’s wild shot, and her face was pale with terror.

Remi made her decision.

“I’ll be the distraction,” she said.

Brody’s head whipped toward her. “Hell, no.”

Remi met his glare head-on. “This will work because Tarrant wants us dead. If I dive out of cover, he’ll try to take aim at me. He won’t be able to stop himself.”

“That’s exactly why you’re not doing it,” he snarled.

She pressed on, determined that this was an argument she was going to win. “Having Tarrant take aim at me will mean adjusting his position. Just a little, but it could be enough. My advice? Aim for the helmet again. Or his neck, if you can get it.”

“Remi, it’s still too risky.” His voice was low, tight, barely controlled.

She reached for him, pressing her left hand to the side of his face. “Anything we do at this point is a risk.” Before he could argue again, she kissed him—quick but deep. When she pulled back, she searched his eyes. “And the biggest risk of all could be if we just sit and wait.”

Brody’s jaw was clenched so tightly she could practically hear his teeth grinding. He wouldn’t say yes, but he also wasn’t stopping her as she moved into position.

“I hope nobody’s planning anything stupid,” Tarrant shouted. “I still got a lot of ammo, and the next one will go into Maria’s kneecap.”

Remi had to force back a shudder. The man was twisted and sick.

“Text Harlan and tell him to hold his position but to be ready to take the shot if he gets it. I’ll come out from behind the cruiser door,” she added to Brody, keeping her voice at a whisper. “I’ll stay low and zigzag to the back of the cruiser, where I’ll take cover again.”