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thing in his life, she backed away first, but settled her hand on his cheek. Nice.
    “Wow,” she said.
    He smiled and pulled his hand away, the iPod clutched between his fingers. “I’ll just take a minute to get my head together.” The one I need to get my boss’s pregnant wife out of this. “Let’s not share this chained-to-the-bed thing, okay? We’ll keep it between us? I don’t want to ignite the situation.”
    She nodded. “Of course.”
    Sunlight shafted through the barn door and Vic stepped in. He took one look at Janet and halted. “What happened?”

Chapter Three
    “Nothing happened,” Janet said.
    Vic assumed his arms-folded-scary-man stance. “You have that look you get when the shit is hitting the fan.”
    She had a look? News to her. She met his stare dead-on because her boss understood body language and if she turned away, he’d know she was hiding something. “I consider Roxann being kidnapped one giant episode of the shit hitting the fan. That’s what happened.”
    Vic’s gaze shifted to Gavin, then back to Janet. “You’re sure?”
    Suspicious.
    But she wasn’t sure of anything, except that loaded-for-bear kiss she’d just planted on Sexy Galore. What an idiot she was. Way to flush your career down the toilet, Janet.
    “Vic,” she said. “I’m sure. What’s the problem?”
    He nodded, apparently not willing to fight. “Mike needs something to do. If he sits at that truck stop any longer, he’s gonna go ape-shit. How are negotiations going?”
    They’re not.
    Gavin stood and leaned back on the folding table. “Janet just discovered some info on our HT. His tax records show he files single with a dependent. Let’s get someone over to his house, see if we can get info to use as leverage.”
    Vic nodded. “Mike can do that.”
    Gavin gawked. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
    “No. It’ll keep him busy and out of your hair and he’ll feel like he’s contributing. He can handle it. Trust me.”
    Gavin looked at Janet. “What do you think? Can he handle this without blowing his stack?”
    The answer came to her in an instant. If anyone could handle it, Michael Taylor was the person. He’d seen plenty of tragedy in his life. He knew how to carry a load.
    “He’ll be fine.”
    Gavin held his hand to Janet who scribbled Joe Smith’s address on a slip of paper and pressed it into his palm.
    He read the address and gave it to Vic. “I hope you’re right about this.”
    “We’re right,” Janet said. “Michael will get what you need.”
    * * *
    Minutes later, after powering down his iPod, Gavin leaned against the barn door, staring off into the miles of cornfields surrounding the farm. The soft sway of the old oak tree soothed his mind and he breathed in the fresh, warm air. Country living. He might like it.
    He watched Vic step out of his Tahoe after calling Mike with his assignment.
    “We’re good,” Vic said. “He’ll check out the address and call us.”
    A boom— gunshot —coming from the direction of the hostage location destroyed Gavin’s moment of peace and he stood upright. His head hammered, the sound smacking against the inside of his skull and violating coherent thought. He hauled ass into the barn with Vic on his heels. “What was that?”
    Janet shook her head. “Nothing on the radio.”
    Gavin grabbed his handheld from the table. “Alpha team. Report!”
    “Who’s firing?” Vic yelled.
    “I don’t know,” Gavin said. “Didn’t you tell them to stand down?”
    “Back off. They know what they’re doing. And yes, I told them.”
    He grabbed the second handheld from the table. “Status. Over.”
    “Farmland, not us, it came from the house, over.”
    What was this about? First Roxann trying to escape and now this? Jesus, the situation was collapsing. “Why is he firing?”
    “My fault,” someone said. “I wanted a better angle to the window and moved. They must have spotted me.”
    Gavin’s blood pressure hit launch and he thought his