Page 54 of The Heat is On
“You’re hurt.” She looked at his arm.
“I’m fine. Just a nick.”
Rio rolled his eyes.
Her nod indicated Rio. “So, he’s a prisoner too?” Fear flashed over her face.
“Yeah—”
“No.” Rio was sick of lying. “I’m not. I’m with the FBI. And we’re only here because Darryl has agreed to testify against Wayne Buttles.”
Her eyes widened. “But you—you promised that—”
“Alicia.” Darryl pressed his forehead into hers. “It’s going to be okay. FBI here is going to get Buttles, stop him, and you and the baby will be safe.”
He looked at Rio then, daring his words to be wrong, but Rio just nodded.
That was the plan, at least.
“I don’t—oh!” Alicia grabbed the railing, her hand on her belly, leaning over and breathing out long and hard.
Darryl freaked out. “What—is it the baby—are you okay?” He grabbed her arms, eased her over to an Adirondack chair. Knelt next to her. “Are you in labor?”
Rio expected her to shake her head, because no—theycouldn’tbe showing up just in time for her to have a baby. But, “I have been since yesterday, I think. I called Larke Kingston—she’s on her way.”
“Is Larke a midwife?” Darryl asked.
“No, she’s a bush medic and yeah, she can deliver babies, but…I didn’t want to go to a regular doctor and…well, you told me to hide, so…?” She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. Breathed. After a moment, “That was a bigger one.”
“When is Larke supposed to get here?”
“I don’t know. I radioed her a bit ago, but…” Her eyes widened. “I think we need to get to the Denali Clinic.”
Oh, perfect. Just what Rio needed—to go somewhere public where the police might find them and arrest him—maybe shoot him.
Except, Alicia closed her eyes again, and by the set of her jaw, yeah, they didn’t have time to wait for some backwoods doc to show up on horseback.
“Let’s go,” Rio said.
“I need to leave Larke a note—tell her where I went.”
Darryl helped her up and made to follow her into the house, but Rio grabbed his arm. “I do this…and you keep your word.” Whatever good his promise was.
“Yeah, man. Yes. Let’s just get her to the hospital.”
“Then you need to get cleaned up, and we need to change out of these clothes.”
He followed Darryl into the house, holding the rifle loosely, not putting it down until Darryl had changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and was helping Alicia into the back seat of the Jeep.
Darryl had given him a change of clothes also, and Rio pulled on a fresh T-shirt, a flannel shirt, and a baseball cap. Then he climbed into the driver’s seat.
Alicia had pinned a note to her front door.
“Hurry,” Darryl said, climbing in next to her in the back seat.
Alicia groaned.
Rio backed out, the smoke billowing in his rearview mirror as he took off down the road. And maybe now was the time to get a little down payment on Darryl’s promises.