Page 60 of Marked

Now the hard part. Getting the little one out without any of them being shot. “Look,” he said, keeping his voice low as he stared into Bella’s big, cautious eyes. “It might get scary for the next little bit. The people who took you are going to be mad when they find out you’re gone. So we need to move quickly and quietly. Can I carry you?”

She nodded.

He picked her up and stood but paused before leaving the stall. “Your mommy has a gun, right?”

Her head bobbed again.

“So you’ve seen something like this before?” He pulled out his weapon.

Her body tensed, but shock didn’t register on her face. “Yeah.”

“They’re loud. Hopefully we don’t have to use it, but if we do I need you to hang on to me and stay quiet. Got it?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You’ll be with your mom in a few minutes.” He shifted her weight so her legs dangled at his waist and her body could be easily shielded by his back.

He moved to the edge of the stall and glanced down the hallway. Quiet. His shoes moved soundlessly over the hay. Bella’s arm looped around his neck. In her other hand she gripped the animal and Sophia’s sweater. She pressed her cheek into him, beneath his chin.

Holding her with one arm, he held his gun up in front of him as he walked. Agitation crunched his muscles. Nothing would be worse than someone finding them and shooting Bella in his arms.

No. He wouldn’t let that happen.

The door came into view. Dallas stood at the opening, his back against the edge so he could easily dodge out of sight—or shoot. He motioned, and Cole broke into a jog, rounding the wood and hitting the night air.

He pressed his back against the barn’s wall. His chest heaved as if he’d run a marathon, but the only cause of his exertion was the foreign sentiment coursing through his veins: fear. Bella’s little body shivered, triggering more angst in his gut.

He quickly took the sweater from her, shook it out, and bundled it around her back before tucking her against his chest again with one arm propped under her. She stayed still but, judging by the hesitant smile on Dallas’s lips, watchful.

“Hey, kiddo. I’m Cole’s brother. Going to take you to your mom now.”

She didn’t speak, but a little jerk told him she’d acknowledged Dallas.

“We’ve got Bella and we’re on foot,” Dallas said quietly, his finger on his earpiece. “Nash and Dare, if you guys are close, move toward the east side of the barn. We’re heading back to the vehicles and might need backup.”

Nash replied brusquely that they were close.

Dallas’s dark orbs landed on Cole, and he gave a firm nod. Time to move.

“You lead,” Cole ordered.

Dallas went ahead and Cole fell into step behind him. With Bella against him, he’d be slow to take in his surroundings. And besides, if someone was going to get shot, better that it was Dallas and not Bella. Wouldn’t be the first time his brother had taken a bullet anyway.

Dallas stopped at the edge of the barn and lifted his fist. Cole paused at his brother’s signal. Bella’s chest rose and fell, her breath shallow and so damn fragile.

Sophia’s entire life was in his arms, and if he didn’t get her to safety, he’d never be able to live with himself.

He skirted past a window whose solid wood covering was slightly ajar.

Dallas lowered his hand and scooted around the barn. Cole’s boots moved swiftly in the tall grass. The forest came into view. They still had a good stretch of land to cover—about a hundred yards or so. But with any luck they’d hit the trees without being spotted.

“Hey! The kid’s gone!” a voice boomed out.

Shit.

Dallas swung toward Cole. It was too dark to read his face, but his features seemed pinched with angst. He spoke into the earpiece. “They know she’s gone. Be ready.”

Cole’s pulse revved up a notch and Bella, probably sensing his rigidness, gripped him tighter. Dallas broke into a run and Cole picked up the pace, his boots smashing into the earth, no longer trying to be quiet.

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