Page 2 of Flynn

But then she heard more footsteps. Was the gunman leaving? She was afraid to move, to take another look.

Max burped. She held her breath, hoping and praying the gunman hadn’t heard the sound. If he was really heading down the stairs, it wasn’t likely.

A flash of light nearly made her scream. A flashlight? Was the intruder still searching for them? Biting her lip hard to keep from crying out, she sat frozen with Max on her shoulder, expecting the beam of light to grow closer.

Then it was gone.

She held her breath until she grew dizzy. By some miracle, Max had fallen asleep against her. She stayed where she was, imagining the intruder going methodically through each room in the house.

A wailing police siren filled her with hope. She felt certain that Flynn had called 911 on her behalf and that the local cops were well on their way. She forced herself to stand, using the wall for support as her knees felt like overcooked noodles.

Taylor peered through the gap of the half-open closet door. She didn’t see anyone, and she couldn’t hear anything either.

Except for the sirens that grew louder and louder.

If the intruder was smart, he’d bolt out of there before the cops arrived. Still, she hesitated, fear crippling her. Then she heard a loud crash of a door being forced open. She jumped, startling the baby.

“Taylor? Where are you?”

Flynn’s shout was accompanied by the sound of pounding footsteps. She moved toward the doorway of her room, risking a quick glance out the door. She nearly sobbed in relief as Flynn rushed toward her.

“Taylor. Are you okay?” He wrapped his arms around her and Max. “You’re not hurt?”

“F-fine.” She was shivering, partially from the cold, but more so because of the horrifying experience. “Y-you need to ch-check on Robin and Steve. I—heard gunshots. Four gunshots.”

Flynn’s expression was grim as he turned to look over his shoulder. She noticed now that two uniformed officers had followed him up the stairs. They took a moment to poke their head into the nursery, then made their way down the hall, their weapons raised as they approached the closed door of the master suite.

Taylor turned her face into Flynn’s shoulder as the officers opened the door and entered the room. It didn’t take long for them to return.

“Two victims, male and female, were killed in their bed,” an officer with the name tag of Rawson said grimly. “Each victim was shot twice.”

“Robin and Steve Miller.” She whispered the names of Max’s parents. The news was exactly what she’d expected, but hearing the blunt words sent a wave of panic washing over her. Not just because the baby in her arms was now an orphan.

No, the worst part was that she’d gotten a glimpse of the gunman. She was the sole witness to a double homicide.

And from the way that guy had stealthily entered the home and ruthlessly killed Max’s parents, she felt certain he wouldn’t balk at finding and silencing her too.

Flynn did notlike this situation one bit. He glanced at the Brookland PD officers who were regarding Taylor with veiled suspicion.

“This is Taylor Templeton. She’s a live-in nanny,” he explained. “I know her from a previous case.”

The officers exchanged a dubious glance. “That’s fine. We’ll need her to come down to the station for questioning.”

“I know, and she will. But she deserves a chance to change her clothes and get stuff for the baby.” Flynn’s blood ran cold at the thought of the gunman finding Taylor and the baby hiding in the closet. He wasn’t even sure how he’d managed to wake up to her text message, but he was glad he had. He could feel her shaking and knew she was on the verge of a breakdown. Not that he blamed her. “Give us a few minutes, okay?”

“Fine. But don’t touch anything outside these two rooms,” Officer Rawson warned, gesturing to Taylor’s room and the nursery.

When they were alone, he smoothed a hand down Taylor’s back to reassure her. “I’m sorry about this, but you need to change and pack a bag. For yourself and the baby.”

Taking a long, slow breath, she nodded and eased back. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course.” He frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Um, yeah. I think so.” She didn’t sound at all confident. He eyed her with concern. Taylor was only twenty-four years old, much younger than his thirty-one, but appeared older now that she’d come face-to-face with death.

“Why don’t you let me hold the baby?” He kept his tone soothing. “We can’t stay here, Taylor. We need to go.”

She seemed to pull herself together. “I know. Here, take him. His name is Max.” She gently pressed the baby into his arms. “I don’t understand why this is happening,” she murmured as she turned to grab an overnight case from the closet. “Why would someone murder the Millers?”

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