Free Secret Delivery by Delores Fossen Page A

could practically touch him.
    The little boy was a good antidote for the drug still left in her body. Suddenly, she didn’t feel hazy. Every inch of her was on alert, and she took in as many details as she could. She’d only gotten a glimpse of him earlier, and he hadn’t been nearly this close to her. She wanted to hold on to this moment forever.
    He was bigger than she’d imagined he would be, and Jack had been right about the eye color. Blue, an identical shade to hers. His face was round with a flash of rosy color in his cheeks, and that beautiful face was framed with soft brown hair that was thin and spiky.
    He was precious.
    Joey looked at her with those now suspicious blue eyes and wound his arms tighter around Tessie’s neck. He didn’t cry, but he certainly wasn’t sending her any welcoming signals. But that didn’t matter. He would get to know her.
    And she would get to know him.
    “Alana,” Tessie greeted. There was a hint of anger in her eyes and more than a little fear and concern.
    Alana understood why. This woman had been a mother figure to Joey. She’d helped Jack raise him, and she would see Alana as a threat.
    “Tessie,” she greeted back. “I remember you brought me Christmas dinner after I gave birth to Joey. You were kind to me, and I appreciate that.”
    “We need to go,” Jack said, voiding the rest of the polite conversation. It wasn’t the time for it, anyway. After all, the kidnapper could return to try to make good on his threat to take Joey.
    “My car’s right in front of the hospital,” Jack explained as he led them in that direction. “We’ll do this as fast as we can. Alana, you get in the front with me. Tessie and Joey will take the back since that’s where his infant seat is. If you see anything of concern, let me know immediately.”
    Concern.
    Translation: danger.
    Alana wanted to take her son and shelter him in her arms, but she knew that wouldn’t be wise. She was still light-headed from the effects of the drug. Plus, there was the virus.
    Jack didn’t waste any time. The moment the front doors swished open, he drew his weapon and looped his left arm around Tessie. The maneuver sandwiched Joey between the two, and they hurried to the black SUV. Alana got in as quickly as she could, and the moment that Tessie had Joey strapped into the seat, Jack drove away.
    Alana kept watch in the side mirror, to make sure no one was following them. Jack did the same. His gaze darted all around them. From the backseat, she could hear Tessie talking softly to Joey. The woman was trying to reassure him that all was well, but he had to be aware of the increased tension.
    But hopefully not the danger.
    “I’m sorry this is happening,” Alana said to Jack.
    He didn’t look at her. He didn’t answer her.
    “Maybe this man is responsible for what happened eight months ago,” she added, talking more to herself than Jack.
    “Maybe.” But it didn’t sound as if he believed that. “I’ll check the surveillance video again, but I don’t remember seeing him.”
    Still monitoring their surroundings, he took the turn toward Main Street. There was only a trickle of traffic here, and the two-lane road was practically rural since the hospital was positioned on the outskirts of town.
    “He wanted you alive,” Jack continued. “So that means he had ransom or some other form of reward in mind.”
    “He knew I had a son. He said ‘if you don’t cooperate, I’ll take your son instead of you.’”
    Because she needed reassurance that he was okay, she glanced over her shoulder at Joey. Tessie was singing him a song, and he was smiling at her.
    When they reached Main Street, Jack pulled into the small parking lot of the sheriff’s office and drove to the back. There was a door labeled Emergency Exit, and it had a sign that instructed visitors to enter through the front. Jack parked as close to the door as possible, unlocked it and started the transfer. He had them all inside within