Ryker hunkered down below the window, praying he hadn’t given himself away. Dizzy, he’d lost his balance and slammed against the side of the cabin. When he’d heard shouting from the inside, he’d hurried to hide behind one of the large bushes. Trying to control his racing heart was harder than being quiet. He’d learned a long time ago how to sit for hours without making a sound.
Ryker curled into himself, hunching against the cold and ignoring it as he listened. Yet another skill he’d acquired at a young age. It had always been cold in their house in the winter since his dad was too cheap to turn the heat on.
Footsteps closed in on his position and a light swept over his head. Don’t see me, please don’t see me.
“Always gotta be the one to do the dirty work,” a voice muttered, “me, with a bullet in him. ‘Go check outside,’” he mocked in a singsong tone. “Go check outside yourself. Forget this.” The man turned and stomped away, back toward the warmth of the cabin.
Ryker let out a breath of relief and pulled his phone from his pocket. No bars. He wanted to hurl the phone to the ground and pound it into a zillion pieces. But that was the way his father would handle his frustration. Ryker simply tucked it back into his pocket and mentally ran through his limited options. Break into the cabin and get Heather or go find a signal.
The clock was ticking for Heather. From what Ryker managed to overhear, those guys were waiting for someone—and that someone would be here soon.
Breathing a prayer, Ryker stood and walked toward the window of the room where Heather was being held.
Travis paced outside the door of Asher’s hospital room, his heart pounding, thoughts racing. He’d finished his statement to the police and had done all the necessary paperwork about discharging his weapon, noting that he’d hit one of the kidnappers. Thirty minutes ago, Asher had been rolled into the surgery recovery room, and Brooke was back there with him. Sarah and Gina sat in the waiting room.
“You okay?” Gavin asked.
Travis turned. His buddy was leaning against the nurses’ station, hands shoved in the front pockets of his jeans.
“No, I’m not.”
Gavin frowned. “Asher’s going to be okay.”
“That’s the good news I’m waiting to hear. The bad news is that I have no idea where Heather is or who took her. She could be about anywhere by now. Just before everything went down, she told me about a guy who came to the hospital and asked her out. Jeffrey Steadman. I sent his name to Caden.”
“You think it’s him?”
“I have no idea. Heather said he was insulted that she didn’t want to go out with him, but that he finally left and she never heard from him again.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed. “Hmm.”
“Yeah. She also said something about one other person who might be responsible, but I never found out who because the attack happened.”
A moment of silence drifted between them. Then Gavin rubbed his forehead. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About?” The shiny white bandage on Gavin’s head set off images of the explosion, the truck in the air. The crash. Travis blinked and gave his friend his full attention.
“Everything. Let’s go over the timeline,” Gavin said. “Heather seemed tense but fairly okay the night of the party, right?”
“Yes.”
“Before she came in, she noticed someone watching her from the neighbor’s yard, right?”
“Yeah. She ran after him, but he bolted.”
Gavin narrowed his eyes. “You chased after her and—”
“When I caught up to her, she slugged me,” Travis admitted.
“Why?”
“Instinct maybe? Her adrenaline was racing and she was reacting to her fear? Who knows?”
“Good to know the whole story.”
Travis shrugged. No need to keep it a secret at this point.
“When she left,” Gavin continued, “she went home. You weren’t too far behind her and thought she was there.”
“From my vantage point across the street, everything looked fine. Normal. I even drove around her block before parking there all night. I didn’t see anything that set off my alarms.” He ran a hand over his cheek. “If only I’d known she wasn’t there . . .”
“There wasn’t any way for you to know.” Gavin narrowed his eyes. “You said there was a picture that indicated the ladies were in danger and Heather interpreted that to mean she needed to run in order to ensure their safety.”
“Right.”
“But we searched her home the next day—right after getting that text. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Her alarm system was set when we got there. Nothing to indicate there was any trouble in her house. It looked like she was just gone for the day and would be back at any moment.”
“Yep.”
“Caden pulled her phone records and there were no calls to her cell after she left the party, but she made one call to the hospital.”
Travis nodded. “Which we now know was to her supervisor, letting her know she wouldn’t be in the next day.”
“Then her phone went dark because she shut it off.”
“Exactly,” Travis said slowly. “So, we can’t say that we actually searched her house. We simply verified she wasn’t there and it didn’t look like anything was wrong on the surface.”
“And the cops wouldn’t search it,” Gavin said, “because of the text saying she was going away for a while and would be in touch soon.” He paused. “You think we missed something that could tell us who took her?”
“I’m saying I don’t think it would hurt to take another look.”
Brooke stepped into the hall and they fell silent. “He just woke up. Said y’all better catch the guy who shot him,” she said as Gina and Sarah joined them.
Travis swallowed and a relieved weakness hit him. Sure, Gavin had said their friend would be okay, but the fact that Asher was awake and talking made it more believable. “Tell him we’re working on it.”
She nodded. “Any word on Heather?”
“Working on that too,” Gavin said.
“We’re going to go search her house,” Travis said. “Like really search it this time and see if there’s any kind of indication or clue as to who could have done this. Are you okay with us leaving?”
“Of course.”
“Caden’s pulling out all the stops to find her,” Sarah said.
And that was the only reason Travis still had a shred of sanity left.
Gina twisted her hands. “Is there anything I can do to help? Today’s my day off and I can be a part of a search team or something.”
“Just keep praying for her right now.”
“Of course.” She frowned and started to say something, then stopped, her eyes still on his.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.”
“Come on, Gina. Say whatever’s on your mind.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “Sarah and I stopped at a little café yesterday, and I thought I saw someone watching her. I asked Sarah if she saw the guy, but she didn’t.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed on Sarah. “Why didn’t you mention it?”
“Because I wasn’t sure anyone was there.”
“I really wasn’t sure about it either,” Gina said, her voice soft. “I don’t know if the person at the café was targeting her, but he followed us out the door. That’s when I asked Sarah if she saw him. He must have seen me watching, because when Sarah turned, he slipped into the crowd on the sidewalk.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Tall, looks like he works out. Goatee.” She rubbed her nose. “He had on a red beanie hat, pulled low. I didn’t really get a good look at his face.”
“It could be the same guy that snatched Heather,” Travis said.
“If I see him again, I’ll try to get a picture, but I’d feel a whole lot better if someone were watching out for Sarah.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” G
avin said. “We’ll have someone watching you, too, from now on.”
Gina’s eyes widened. “Me? No. He wasn’t watching me. He was definitely watching Sarah.”
“I think we may be overreacting. A little paranoid because of what’s happened to Heather,” Sarah said.
“I disagree.” Gina placed a hand on Sarah’s arm. “This is too serious to brush off or assume no one was there.”
Sarah hesitated a fraction. “But why would someone be following me? I don’t understand.”
“When we figure out why someone snatched Heather, we may know the answer to that question,” Travis said. He looked at Brooke. “Have you noticed anyone following you?”
“No. No one.”
“Doesn’t mean someone’s not watching,” Travis said. “How many favors can we call in to get some protection on everyone?”
“As many favors as it takes,” Gavin said. “Between Caden and me, we can get it covered. I’m also going to ask Caden to pull video from the café and see if we can spot him.” He pulled out his phone and stepped down the hall.
Travis watched the clock, his nerves ticking in time with the seconds. Please watch over Heather, please don’t let anything happen to her. He continued the prayer until Gavin stepped back toward them. “All right. I’ve got two buddies headed this way. They’re going to be bodyguards to Gina and Sarah for however long it takes.” He glanced at Sarah, then back to Travis. “I’m going to stay here.”
“No,” Sarah said. “Travis needs you to do this with him. Heather needs you too. Go, we’ll be fine.”
Gavin frowned and Travis refrained from saying anything, knowing Gavin had to come to the decision himself. Finally, he nodded. “Okay, but we wait until my friends get here.”
An hour later, with Gavin’s buddies on guard, Travis hugged Brooke, then Gina. “Please keep texting updates. We’ll do the same.”
“Sure.”
Travis and Gavin headed for the elevator. “It’ll take us at least an hour to get to Heather’s,” Gavin said, “depending on traffic.”
Travis gripped the keys to his truck. “Don’t bet on that. You’re sure you’re comfortable leaving Sarah? I’d totally understand if you wanted to stay.”
“I’m fine. I trust those guys with my life. I can trust them with my heart.”
Travis’s phone rang and he glanced at the screen. He didn’t recognize the number but tapped the green button. “Heather?”
“No, this is Ryker, but I know where Heather is.”
CHAPTER
TEN
It was time.
The voices in the other room had fallen silent, and Heather thought she’d heard a door shut. Shut, not slam. That was good, right?
Unsure of their location, her fear at the thought of facing her captors—and what that might mean for her physical well-being—continued to grow. Shutting doors was definitely better than slamming.
She decided to try and make a break for it instead of wait around for whoever had hired the two to snatch her.
She yanked the pillowcase from the pillow and wrapped it around her hand and forearm. Once more in front of the window, she used her elbow to punch out the corner of the glass. The crash made her cringe.
And freeze.
Cold air rushed in through the gaping hole. She waited for the pounding footsteps, a yell, or the slam of a door.
And heard nothing.
Turning back to the window, she punched out the rest of the glass in the lower pane. When she was finished, she grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed and tossed it out the window. Then snagged the comforter and placed it over the windowsill and remaining broken glass.
Without a backward glance, she climbed out and landed on the ground, glass crunching beneath her shoes. She let herself drag in a ragged breath, then grabbed the blanket from the ground and darted for the tree line.
“Hey!”
The shout nearly stopped her heart, but she churned her feet faster.
“Get her! I’ll grab the van and cut her off!”
“This wasn’t in the contract!”
Heather spared a quick glance behind her, ignoring the words but filing them away. One man was already in the driver’s seat and the other—the wounded one—pounded her way. She wasn’t concerned about being able to outrun him, but the one in the van worried her. And neither had on masks. She couldn’t see the one in the van very well, but if they caught her now, they’d have no reason to allow her to live.
Please get me out of here, God. She hit the wooded area and kept going, shooting a look behind her. The van closed in. Much farther back, the wounded man went to his knees. Heather kept going, deeper into the trees, the underbrush crunching beneath her feet. The slamming of a door and harsh yell behind her sent terror shooting through her. She dodged limbs and jumped over dead trees, clutching the blanket around her.
She didn’t like to run. Hated it, in fact. Would her loathing of exercise be the death of her? Taking the stairs at work probably couldn’t be considered an exercise routine.
A limb scraped her cheek. She winced but refused to slow. Heather rounded the next tree and pulled to a stop, her breath coming in harsh pants. “Oh no, oh no.”
The trees closed in, thick and dark, blocking out the light of the moon, making it impossible to discern which way she should go.
She darted behind the nearest tree to listen. The quiet of the darkness surrounded her. No engines, no footsteps, no curses. A shiver crawled up her spine, and she shuddered, clamping her teeth against the frigid cold. Why couldn’t she hear anything? Because she’d lost them? Or were they simply waiting her out? Listening for her to make the next move.
She planted her back against the trunk of the tree and pressed her hands to her eyes. Think. Listen. Listen and think. She needed to find a way to the road. If she followed the road, she’d eventually come to a—
A rustle to her left. Her head snapped up and her blood went still. Footsteps reached her once more, coming closer. Muted breathing, low mutters.
Heather backed from the tree, slipping deeper into the woods, her sense of direction askew. However, going back the way she came wasn’t an option.
A light passed over her head, and she sucked in a scream as she dropped to the ground.
“You might as well stop running,” a voice said. The captor was calling the shots. “Make this easier on both of us, will you? There are only a few hours left, and I’m getting tired of this whole cat-and-mouse game.”
Heather shuddered, her stomach clenching, threatening to release its contents even as confusion swirled. A few hours left? She clenched her hands into fists, then crept away from him, while her ears strained to pick up the slightest sound.
Behind her, underbrush crunched, and she stuffed one of her nearly frozen fists into her mouth to keep the scream from escaping. How did he get behind her? Had the wounded man recovered enough to be a threat once more?
Heart thundering, she whipped her head left, then right, and thought she spotted a slight opening in the tightly packed trees. But that’s where the sound had come from. Right? Or had it been from the other side?
Clamping her lips, Heather closed her eyes to listen once more. The footsteps from the other direction grew louder, the low voice closer. “Come on, you stupid—” She closed her ears to the words and focused. He was in front of her, slightly to her left. Close enough to touch.
The light passed across her face this time. “Gotcha.”
She darted for the opening, no longer worried about finding her way out of the woods—she just wanted to get away. His hand scraped her forearm and she stumbled forward, tripped on a log, and went to her knees.
A hand clamped around her ankle and sent her facedown. She twisted, kicked out, connected with something. His harsh cry brought her a split second of satisfaction—and blessed freedom.
She scrambled to her feet, racing for the obscurity of the trees. She rounded one, and a hand clamped over her mouth, yanking her to a su
dden halt. “Shh.” Harsh breaths escaped her nose in puffs of panic. Her terror spiked. “Be quiet,” the voice whispered. “And I’ll get you out of here.”
Relief crashed into her. “Ryker?”
“Shh. This way.”
With her cold hand clasped in his, he led her into the trees through an opening she hadn’t seen—and now prayed her pursuers wouldn’t spot.
Cursing blistered the air directly in front of her and she flinched. Ryker’s reassuring grip and her military training enabled her to stay silent, to steady her breathing and stay in control. Light bounced off the trees in front of her. More cursing, then gunfire split the night, and she found herself facedown in the dirt once more.
“Almost there,” Travis bit out. Ryker’s call had immediately changed their plans. Gavin sat in the passenger seat while Travis floored the accelerator. “Cops should be on scene as we speak.”
Caden was choppering in. He’d requested the case assignment, and his supervisor had handed it to him without argument.
The hospital was only thirty minutes by land from the location Ryker had given them, and Travis just prayed that Caden and local police would arrive in a timely manner. Like twenty minutes ago.
“I didn’t have a signal with this phone,” the teen had said. “I had to come down the mountain far enough to get one. I called the sheriff and figured you’d want to know, too, but I got to get back. I don’t know what they’re going to do with her.”
“But she’s all right?” Travis had pressed, not even caring that he sounded frantic. He was.
“Yeah. They’ve got her locked in a room. She opened the blinds but turned before I could get her attention. I was going to knock on the window, but one of the guys came out and started walking around the cabin. I thought he was going back inside, but he kept circling the perimeter. I think he was avoiding the one inside. They don’t seem like they get along very well. Anyway, I didn’t want to take a chance on getting Heather’s attention because I was afraid she’d let on that I was out here and they’d leave. But I think they’re waiting on something—or someone. One of them has a phone that actually works up there. He was talking to someone and he didn’t look happy.”
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