Every Precious Thing

CHAPTER EIGHTY — ONE

As Logan reached the sliding glass door, he heard another cry of pain.

Dr. Paskota was standing over someone on the ground, her foot pushing down on the person. Her companion had a gun trained on a man standing in the bushes.

Rachel’s husband, Logan realized. Which meant the man on the ground had to be Richard.

Dammit. Why hadn’t they gotten out of here?

“Who are you?” the doctor demanded.

The time for stealth was over. Logan raised his gun and fired through the open door from inside the house. Though he was a good marksman, it was dark and the weapon was an unfamiliar one, hindered by the suppressor. The bullet went left of its intended target, clipping Dr. Paskota in the arm instead of hitting her in the shoulder like he’d intended.

She jerked sideways and dropped to the ground, facing the house.

Clausen hit the grass, too.

“Who’s in there?” the doctor yelled.

Logan stepped to the side, out of direct line of the guns. He pointed at the window on the other side of the door. Dev nodded, dropped into a crouch, and snuck over to it.

Staying in the darkness, Logan edged back out just enough so he could see the woman.

“The next shot takes you down,” Logan yelled.

Thup-thup. Thup-thup.

Bullets flew into the house, but hit only wall.

“You want to try again?” Logan asked.

“Harper?” Dr. Paskota said.

“Right on the first try, Doctor.”

There was a pause. “How about we make a deal? We walk away, and you can come out and help your friends.”

Dev whispered, “The other one’s sneaking up to the house.”

That wasn’t a surprise. Logan hadn’t believed the woman for a second.

“How about you put your guns down and we don’t kill you?” Logan countered.

“I don’t think so. Tell me, is the woman with you?”

“Not anymore. Right now she’s with her husband and baby. Oh, and my dad, too.”

“I guess I misjudged you, huh?”

“I guess so.”

Dev looked over. “Can’t see him anymore.”

Logan stepped back so he could no longer see what was going on.

“So tell me, Dr. Paskota, what are your clients going to say when the FBI shows up at their homes and starts asking about these babies you’ve created for them?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know enough to know that creating children just so they could provide parts for a biological parent is probably going to get you quite a few years in prison.”

Silence, then, “That’s not going to happen. Once we take care of you, I’ll find the girl, and this will all just be a bad memory.”

Logan was about to agree with the last part, but before he could say anything, someone shouted, “No!”

Then Reggie barked.