the car had disappeared into the darkness. Roger jumped out of the car and ordered Sam to put his hands up and not to take one step from where he was standing.
Adam radioed Fred to go after the fleeing car. Roger went over to Sam, handcuffed him and read him his rights.
It all happened in a blur for Hadley. She struggled to breathe but couldn’t force oxygen into her lungs. She grew dizzy and her heart began to pound erratically.
If she couldn’t get air, she was going to die. She opened the door and jumped from the truck.
Adam caught her in his arms and held her tight while she beat her fists into his chest.
“He got away. All this and he got away.”
“He didn’t. The helicopter will follow him. Stop fighting and hold on to me.”
“But the girls...”
“We’ve got Sam. He’ll lead us to Lacy and Lila. Detective Lane will see to that.”
They were words, only words, but she was no longer fighting for breath. The vertigo lessened. The world stopped bucking.
“I’ll be here for you, Hadley,” Adam whispered. “I promise I’ll be here for you. But I need you to be here for me.”
The pleading in his voice finally got through to her. She wasn’t the only one who was afraid. She wasn’t the only who was hurting.
Adam rocked her in his arms until she could stand by herself. But he couldn’t still the fear that was driving her out of her mind.
The fear that she might never see Lacy and Lila again.
* * *
MARY NELL WOKE TO bright sunlight streaming through the window of her motel room. The room was no bigger than the one she’d shared with the girls in Dallas, but it was clean. And instead of a noisy highway outside her window, there was the Gulf of Mexico.
She stretched and then eased out of bed so as not to wake the girls. They’d slept with her last night instead of on the floor. She’d never expected to grow so fond of them. She hoped she and Sam had lots of kids.
The time for them to turn Lacy and Lila over to Hadley had come and gone. Hopefully, Quinton had given up and gone, as well. Then she and Sam could make this work.
He’d be upset with her for running out on him, but once she explained that she’d done it for them and for the girls, he’d understand.
Unless he’d been arrested. No. She had to stay positive. Sam was at home in his bed, just waking up and wondering where she was and why she hadn’t gotten in touch with him.
There was a phone in the room but she was nervous about making the call in case Sam was with Quinton. But she had no choice. She got an outside line and called his number. There was no answer. She left a brief message asking Sam to come and get them in Galveston. She couldn’t bear going back to that sleazy motel where they’d been staying.
After that, she stood at the window and admired the view. There were sailboats in the distance and a sandy playground just across the street from the motel and right on the beach.
Too bad she didn’t dare take the girls there. She was afraid to even take them to the breakfast room for the free food. She should go now while they were still asleep and bring something back for them to eat.
And then they’d wait on Sam to come for them. He loved her. He wouldn’t let her down.
She slipped into a pair of white shorts and a tank top and ran her fingers through her hair. Then she stepped into her flip-flops, locked the girls in the room and went to find food.
She returned with a tray loaded with yogurt, cereal, fruit and juice for the girls and with a bagel, cream cheese and coffee for herself. The girls were still sound asleep.
She turned the TV on low to see if there was any more talk of an arrest being made.
She didn’t have to wait long before her fears turned to shock. She blinked, unable to believe that was Sam’s image on the screen. He was in handcuffs and walking next to Detective Lane. She grabbed the remote to turn up the volume.
Sam had been arrested in an attempt to collect a ransom. Quinton had gotten away with fifty thousand dollars. There was no mention of her but Sam had given them Quinton’s name as an accomplice.
Quinton who