She righted herself. “What the hell is this, Annalee? What can you possibly hope to gain with this little show?”

“Money,” she said with a shrug. “Things have gone south on me, so I’ll need some money.”

“I didn’t see your car anywhere….”

“Parked behind the cabin, out of sight,” Annalee said. “Now, shall we just get down to business?”

“How much?” Erin said. “I’ll write you a check.”

“Right.” Annalee laughed. “It’ll have to be a little more liquid than that, I’m afraid. A cash transaction.”

“And you’re going to take hostages? Is that your plan?”

She laughed again and Erin actually winced at what that did to the appearance of her face. “Hell, no, that would only slow me down.”

“Well, if you hold a gun on my pregnant sister while I go after cash, that would qualify as taking a hostage. I can’t think of any other way you’re likely to accomplish it. Aren’t you in enough trouble?”

“Wait till you hear this,” Marcie said. “It’s actually pretty slick.” Erin frowned at Marcie. “But it is.”

“Lay it on me,” Erin said.

“We’re going to do it on the computer,” Annalee said. “A transfer of funds or a bank draft, whichever you’re capable of. Everyone banks online. I need fifty thousand transferred into my offshore bank and don’t worry, I’ll take it from there.”

Erin just shook her head. “You’re kidding.”

“Not even slightly. You want to handle that for me, or do we wait for Aiden?”

Erin thought for a moment. “I can do it,” she said. “It needs a phone call. Just to my investment account manager. She makes the transfer into my money management account, I can transfer it from there. Online.”

“If you screw this up and tip anyone off, we’re going to have trouble,” Annalee said.

“I won’t screw it up,” Erin promised. “Then you’ll go?”

“Absolutely. Why would I want to hang around here?”

“Where’s your partner? That Mujo guy?”

“Well, that’s the problem,” Annalee said. “When we figured they’d be looking for us, he split. Left me high and dry. Not the first time, and he always comes around when things cool down, but for right now, I can’t go anywhere without money. And as usual, he took what we had.” She smiled. “I’ll find him. I know just where to look.”

“He did that to your face, didn’t he?” Erin asked.

“Mujo has a bit of a temper, but then so do I. I guess I set him off.”

“Annalee,” Erin said, shaking her head. “Why in the world would you want him back? Can’t you manage to get just about any man you want?”

“No one is like us,” she said. “Me and Mujo. No one understands and no one is like us, that’s all. That’s how it is.”

Erin shook her head. “What a life,” she muttered. She walked slowly and carefully to the desk, precariously close to Annalee. She flipped open the laptop and logged on. Then she picked up the phone and placed a call. She cheerily greeted her account manager’s assistant, explained she was making a large down payment on a lake house in northern California and asked that fifty thousand be transferred into the checking account of her trust. When that was done, she looked up at Annalee. “Now what?”

“The account number and transit number are right there, on that pad by the computer, all ready for you.”

Erin took a deep breath and accomplished the rest. The whole operation took less than fifteen minutes, which was incredibly frightening. “Done,” she said.

“I’m going to have to verify that,” Annalee said. “Move away from the computer, please, and don’t do anything stupid. I’d rather not shoot anyone today, but you must know what my freedom means to me.”

“No problem. Verify away,” she said, moving back to sit beside Marcie. “Are you all right?” she asked her sister.

“Well, yes and no,” Marcie said. “I’m doing okay, but I’m having some serious contractions. They’re getting close and hard. The real deal. This means I’m supposed to call my doctor and meet him at the hospital. But at the moment…”

Erin jolted upright and shouted at Annalee. “Do you realize what’s happening here? That my sister is in labor and has to be in a hospital for a C-section? There’s no time to waste! There could be huge consequences if you delay us!”

Annalee looked up from the computer as if bored.

Marcie touched Erin’s arm. “We’ve been over all that. Not her problem, she says.”

“It’s by God going to be her problem if she ignores it! Hurry up over there!”

“It’s not recorded quite yet,” Annalee said calmly. “Take it easy.”

“Just check my transfer receipt,” Erin demanded. “Banks usually take twenty-four hours to register a deposit.”

“Well, you need to shop banks,” Annalee said lightly. “Mine takes twenty-four to make the funds available, but they record almost immediately.” She leaned back in the chair and idly played with her weapon. “It shouldn’t be too long.”

How could the woman be so calm in the face of her sister’s labor, knowing the situation was so dangerous for Marcie? But then, if she was truly sociopathic, nothing would affect her. It was eerie, watching her calm.

It seemed to Erin to take forever, and as she sat beside Marcie she could feel her large abdomen harden and relax a few times.

“Have you timed them?”

“Five minutes or so. Nothing to worry about yet. Maybe she’ll leave and we can carry on.” She took a breath. “Ian’s going to kill me.”

“Once you’re fine, he will. Can you concentrate on not having a baby? Something like self-hypnosis?”

“I don’t know,” Marcie said. “Up till today I’ve been concentrating on having him a little early….”

“Swell.”

There was a little ping! across the room. Annalee said, “Well, now.” She closed the laptop. “Nicely done.”

“Hate to see you rob us and run, but we understand.”

Annalee laughed. “You know, one of the things I admire most, especially from a woman under pressure, is a good sense of humor. But gee, that went so well, I think we should wait for Aiden and do it again. Double your pleasure?”

“As far as I know, Aiden isn’t planning to come here,” Erin said. “He’s gone to Eureka with his brother and won’t be back at his brother’s house before dinnertime. I’m to go back over there later.”

“Let’s give him a little time to miss you,” she said.

Erin leaned forward. “Don’t take that chance, Annalee. If you wait till people start to worry about us, you might have waited too long. I gave you a nice little nest egg. Take off before you have a trail of cops on your behind.” As if on cue, the phone rang. And rang and rang and rang. When it went to voice mail, Erin said, “Really. Don’t press your luck. Or, if you need some more money, maybe I should just do it so you can leave…”

“Ordinarily I’d go for that idea, but typically there’s a break point where people start to wonder what’s up with the big withdrawals. In my experience, fifty thousand is on the high but safe side. Let’s give darling Aiden a little time. Besides…I wouldn’t mind seeing him just once more…”

“You do understand that if that was him trying to reach me, he’ll come, but not without help. Law-enforcement help. Annalee, be smart. You can shoot us or even drag us both out of here at gunpoint, but you’ll never get away. If you go now before anyone knows what’s going on, you might even make it.”

“It’s so nice of you to be concerned, but I think everything will work out fine. We’ll give him a little more time.”

Marcie winced and a little groan escaped her. This was escalating.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Erin said.

“Hold it.”

“I have to go now!”

“Wet yourself, see if I care. Can’t you stay focused?”

“How long do you propose to wait for Aiden? Because I need to get my sister medical attention!”

Annalee glanced at her watch. “Maybe a little while longer. Don’t worry—I’ll be out of your hair before long. If things go well, I’ll have enough money to stay out of your hair.”

But Erin was worried. She wasn’t sure who might come bursting in the door first—Ian or Aiden. Or maybe Aiden with law enforcement. If it got that complicated and messy, not only were people going to get shot or taken hostage for a getaway by a panicked Annalee, it might push Marcie too far into a danger zone for delivering the baby safely. As Erin understood Marcie’s situation, the danger was to Marcie and the baby.

She could not face that. Would not.

She leaned close to Marcie and gently stroked her hair away from her face. “If I create a diversion, can you get out?” she whispered.

“No whispering!” Annalee shouted.

Marcie groaned; a deep and low growl came out of her. And then suddenly there was a small flood as her water broke and began to flow from her body, wetting the couch beneath both her and Erin and dripping onto the floor. “No,” Marcie said weakly. “Don’t think so, no.”

“Jesus Christ, I thought you were faking about having to pee,” Annalee said. “That’s disgusting! Shame on you!”

Seventeen

Erin glanced at her watch. It was five o’clock. Ian should be arriving soon and Aiden would be back at Luke’s to receive the news that Erin had gone to the cabin. Things were going to shortly start coming apart at the seams and there was one whacko woman in control of a gun.

And Marcie’s water had broken. Although Erin didn’t know much about childbirth, she knew this meant something significant. “What does it mean?” she asked her sister.

“I gotta have a doctor and an operating room pretty soon or we’re toast. He’s all upside down and backward, Erin. He can’t come out.”

Erin got sharply to her feet. She glared at Annalee. “All right, toots—this meeting is over. My sister’s water broke and we’re in motion now. Take off.”

Annalee likewise got to her feet, waving the little gun. “Hey, sit down! I told you what we’re doing here!”

“I heard,” Erin said. “You’re making a big mistake because it’s just about time for a whole bunch of people to come running and find out why this very pregnant woman and I aren’t answering the phone or checking in as promised. Go—you’ll thank me someday.”

“I’ll shoot,” she warned.

“I guess that’s up to you,” Erin said. “I’m getting towels!” She stalked purposefully toward the bathroom and was frankly a little surprised when no bullet hit her in the back. She kept going. She ran through the door that joined the bathroom to the bedroom, grabbed the can of bear repellent and tucked it under her arm. She picked up her handy soup pot and metal spoon and peeked out the other door into the great room.

No Annalee. Good. She’d followed Erin.

She pulled closed the bedroom door as she entered the great room, then dashed to pull the bathroom door closed, as well. Then she stood between the two doors and began to bang the spoon inside the pot and yell at the top of her lungs. She kept both doors in her peripheral vision and when she saw one of them begin to cautiously open just a crack, she dropped the pot and spoon and armed herself with the repellent.

Erin thought there was a fair chance she’d be shot, but she really didn’t have any other choice. With luck, the gun was of a small caliber and the aim would be bad. Even if she was killed or incapacitated, she’d have done some serious damage to Annalee in the process and Marcie would be able to get to the phone.

She went to the door that was opened only a crack. She kicked it violently and sprayed as she rushed in. And sprayed and sprayed.

The gun went off before it dropped from Annalee’s hands so she could cover her eyes, but Erin didn’t feel shot. Annalee backed into the bedroom and Erin followed. As the mist from the pepper spray stung her eyes, she moved on toward a screaming, blinded Annalee. When she was close, she grabbed the canister by the neck and swung it as hard as she could, whacking Annalee in the head.

She heard a loud crack and Annalee went down like rock. Out cold.

Erin looked down at her. Totally unconscious if not dead, a trickle of blood running out of her nose, her mouth parted and her eyes open a sliver. “Ew,” she said.

“Erin! Erin, are you all right?” her sister called desperately from the other room.

She ran back to Marcie. “I have to get you to the hospital.”

Marcie shook her head and tears wet her cheeks. “Gimme the phone to call 911 and while I do that, make sure that woman’s down for the count.”

“I might’ve killed her,” Erin said, fetching the phone. “She looks totally dead. Listen, I’ll carry you to the car and we’ll call ahead for help to meet us.”

Marcie shook her head and got a terrified look on her face. It accompanied an expression of both pain and remorse. “I don’t think we can make it. I feel like…I feel like there are boulders in my pelvis. I feel like…” She stopped talking to blink at the phone. And then she dropped the phone as pain gripped her and she howled.