Temptation Trails - Page 164

“What do you want to do with these?”

“I’ll toss them. I don’t want to take the time to bake them. I feel like we should get back.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and a chill ran down my spine. I was about to ask Owen if it was just me when I realized we weren’t alone.

A man stood just inside the back door. He was dressed in black, including black gloves on his hands. How had he gotten in? I’d locked it. Pregnancy brain or not, I’d absolutely locked it.

Then it hit me. Someone had broken into my house, and Garrett’s. Locks wouldn’t mean much to someone like that.

“Don’t scream.” The man pulled a gun and pointed it at Owen. “Phone. On the counter.”

“Do what he says,” I whispered.

Owen took his phone out of his pocket and set it next to the sheet of unbaked cookies.

My mind reeled, fear and confusion swirling in a haze. Who was he? He looked familiar.

Wait. Phillip, from the prosecutor’s office. He’d been in the bakery earlier that day.

“I didn’t count on two of you.” He narrowed his eyes at Owen. “But I can make this work. It’s going to make for quite a story when all is said and done. The whole family.”

Owen inched toward me. Phillip didn’t say anything, so I reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him next to me. His phone buzzed on the island, but I couldn’t see the screen. Not that it mattered. We couldn’t answer it.

“What do you want?” Owen asked.

“No questions. Do what you’re told, and I won’t have to shoot you.”

“You can’t shoot her,” Owen said. “She’s pregnant.”

Phillip rolled his eyes. “Like I care. Here’s what’s going to happen. My car is parked just outside. You’re going to walk out the door and get in the back seat. The door’s already open. Cooperate and you live.”

Owen leaned closer. “He’s not going to shoot us in the middle of town.”

“No?” Phillip asked. “Don’t test me, kid. I’ve done far worse and gotten away with it.”

“Where are you going to take us?” Owen asked.

“Owen, I think you should be quiet now.”

“She’s a smart woman,” Phillip said. “Let’s go.”

“We’re not going with you,” Owen said, a note of defiance in his voice.

My heart beat furiously. Could we get out the front before he shot us? A moving target was harder to hit, but we’d have to navigate through the kitchen, out the doorway, and around the counter and pastry case. Then get out the locked front door, all without getting shot in the back.

He’d shoot Owen first. I could see it in his eyes.

Owen twitched. He wanted to try to run.

“Don’t,” I whispered. “He’ll kill you.”

“No he won’t,” he whispered back.

Phillip let out a frustrated sigh. He kept the gun trained on Owen and pulled something from his belt. It looked like another gun, only it was black and yellow.

He pointed the second weapon right at me. “He’s right, I don’t want to shoot you here. But you are coming with me.”

“No!” Owen shouted, twisting so his body moved in front of me.