“Ow.”
“Sorry. I just thought of something.” It was getting dark and it looked like they would be spending the night outside. “Wait here.” He ran back to the cabin for a blanket. A mournful wail came from Jane when he crossed the threshold and he felt like crap for making her go back inside.
“I’m sorry, Jane,” he said sincerely. “We won’t be here long. I’m just grabbing a blanket.” He ripped it from the bed and ran back to meet Zoe, who hadn’t followed his instructions to stay put. She was as stubborn as he was. They took off for the woods. They’d just traveled a few hundred feet when the sound of the engine rumbled again.
Kai glanced around in a panic, looking for somewhere they could hide. The shed was the only option, so he led them behind the decrepit building. Thankfully the blanket was brown so he tossed it over the three of them, hoping to disguise their light clothing.
The engine cut off, leaving an eerie silence. Not even the birds made a peep. They probably sensed they were in the presence of evil. Then the man roared as if in pain. Zoe grabbed his arm in a crushing grip. “Where are you, Precious? You can’t leave me,” the man bellowed. “I’ll never let you go. I’ll find you. You belong with me.”
Kai’s entire body shook with Jane’s trembles. He grasped one of her hands and felt Zoe do the same with the other. They wouldn’t let the man near her again.
He really wanted to peek around the building. The man sounded close. But he didn’t want to do anything to give their position away. Still, they needed to get moving. Darkness was rapidly descending and he wanted to be well away from the cottage before they bunked down for the night.
Twigs snapped and leaves crunched. Kai’s heart beat in tandem with the footsteps that drew nearer to their hiding spot. Zoe’s grip tightened on his arm to the point of drawing blood. A door creaked open. Thank goodness they hadn’t taken refuge inside the shed. The man banged around, knocking things over and creating a tremendous racket. He finally gave up his search and left the building.
Time passed. Minutes, hours, he had no idea, but there had been no more shouts from the man, nor any engines starting up. That worried Kai. He’d hoped the man would go back out to search for the girls so they could make a clean getaway.
As careful as possible, he shifted, trying to relieve some of Jane’s weight from his back. She didn’t weigh much more than his school backpack, but he wasn’t used to carrying one since it was summer vacation. Zoe pressed something into his hand.
“I found a flashlight in the drawer.”
He pushed the power button, relieved when a strong beam of light emerged. “Good thinking. Let me see where the man is before we take off.”
He was shocked to discover it was dusk out when he slid his head out from the blanket. It would be total darkness soon. He knew from experience that it was darker in the woods without the glow of the moon to light the ground. Peeking around the edge of the shed, he spotted a light on inside the house. The man paced back and forth in front of the window. He stopped and peered directly at Kai’s location. He gasped and dropped back down, praying the man hadn’t seen him. He waited for footsteps, but it remained silent except for the croaking of frogs. Apparently, toads couldn’t sense evil or else they’d have abandoned the area like the birds.
He chanced one more glance. The man was back to pacing. He hadn’t spotted him. He quickly gathered up the blanket. “We need to get out of here. Stay as low to the ground as possible and head that way.” He pointed behind them. He hoped the shack would keep them hidden. “I’ll tell you when it’s okay to get up.”
“Got it.” Zoe took the blanket from him and tucked it under her arm. Then she grabbed one of the bags and crawled away. Kai kept watch on the cabin but the man didn’t look out again. When Zoe was a safe distance away, Kai grabbed the remaining bag and scuttled after her. He had a hard time seeing where he was going, even though his night vision was strong. Pebbles and sticks bit into his hands and knees as he tried to keep as quiet as possible. He almost missed Zoe until he was right on top of her. She was waiting for him behind a tree. Using the same tree for camouflage, he stood and peered at the cabin. All he could see was a small dot of light. No one followed them. “As quiet as possible, keep going.” He pressed the flashlight in Zoe’s hand. “Only turn it on if you need it. I’ll follow you.”
Zoe took off, her steps quiet. Whenever he heard a noise, he grabbed her arm and they stopped to listen. Zoe used the light occasionally, but for the most part, they navigated in the dark. They’d been walking for quite a while when they came to a cropping of boulders. Kai tapped Zoe’s shoulder. “Let’s stop and eat.” His stomach was rumbling something fierce. They needed fuel. He untied Jane’s shoes and Zoe helped him with the belt buckles. Jane slid to the ground. Kai dropped down beside her. His feet were killing him from walking in the too-large boots. He knew Zoe’s had to be hurting, too.
Zoe opened her bag and handed each of them a bottle of water. When Jane made no move to grab it, Kai twisted off the cap and held it to her mouth. With his prompting, she drank some of the liquid. Zoe opened a package of slightly smooshed bread and then a jar of peanut butter. She’d thought to grab a butter knife so she swiped some of the creamy spread on a piece for each of them. Once again, Jane wouldn’t eat, so Kai held the food to her mouth. She obediently opened and chewed, so he alternated feeding her and himself. The protein in the peanut butter was already reviving his sluggish muscles. Zoe handed him four chocolate chip cookies and he did the same thing with Jane, feeding her and then himself. She would only eat if he fed her. She gave no indication that she knew what was going on around her. The vacant look never left her eyes. Kai was worried about her. She was like a husk of a cicada he’d seen attached to a tree by his house. It was just a hollow, empty shell with nothing inside. He hoped like heck someone would be able to reach her once he got her to safety and bring her back to life. She was so young. She had her whole life ahead of her. The kidnapper might have damaged her, but Kai refused to believe she was broken.
“Are you able to keep walking?” Kai asked Zoe. His dogs were barking, but he wanted to put more distance between them and the cabin.
“Yes, but I need to pee. I’ll take Jane with me. I’m sure she must need to go.”
Kai helped Jane stand and then Zoe put her arm around her and guided her to some trees. Kai used the opportunity to relieve himself. Once he finished, he checked their supplies. There were six more water bottles. They’d need to be careful not to run out. They had enough food to last a few days with the crackers, cereal and cookies, plus the bread and peanut butter. When the girls returned, he settled Jane on his back again and Zoe strapped her on with one belt holding her arms in place and the other around his waist. He tied her shoes together and they were ready to go.
Zoe used the flashlight to find a path and then clicked it off. After they’d walked what felt like miles, they came to an open field lit by the moon. There was no place to bed down for the night, so they continued through the meadow to another set of woods. He’d hoped they’d come to civilization by now, but they hadn’t seen any sign of life. Thankfully, Indiana was a rocky state, and they encountered another set of rocks. One had a slight indentation, just deep enough for them to crawl under, but not so deep that animals could lie in wait for a midnight snack of three unsuspecting kids. They could sleep there with Jane and Zoe in the back and him in the front.
He was glad his sister Gracie wasn’t with them. She’d developed claustrophobia after their ordeal in the woods. Though their hidey-hole had served to save their lives and she’d felt safe at the time, Kai hated that she developed the condition because of what he’d done. The doctor his mom talked to said that Gracie associated closed-up spaces with the trauma of being kidnapped and that it had nothing to do with him, but he still felt guilty. For weeks after, Gracie refused to sleep alone. If she did fall asleep by herself, Kai would wake in the middle of the night with her tucked up beside him.
He told
Zoe his plans and she sagged with relief, obviously exhausted. Once they unloaded and crawled into the space, he took the flashlight and went in search of twigs and branches to disguise them as much as possible. When his arms were full, he headed back. The girls were lying on the blanket. He dropped his load and started building a branch wall, leaving a hole wide enough for him to climb inside. Zoe had left a part of the blanket for him to rest on and once he was in place, she tossed the other end over them. They were wrapped up like three pigs in a blanket. Three bugs in a rug. It was the last thought he had as he fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter Seven
Sawyer longed to massage the ache in his neck, but he didn’t want to wake Harlow. She’d fallen asleep against his shoulder about an hour ago. They’d been up all night, dealing with the state police and Secret Service, who’d tried to take over the investigation. Luke and Logan quickly shot them down, with help from Senator Duquesne. After hearing the story of how Kai saved Gracie, she backed up her daughter’s assertion that she had hired the firm. That didn’t deter the Secret Service, so compromises were made and now they were all working together and pooling their resources to bring the children home. An Amber Alert had been issued and once word got out who the missing girl was, the press had descended like a swarm of bees. Hundreds of calls had flooded the tip lines with potential sightings, but none had panned out so far.
Except for a brief trip to their rooms to change, they’d stayed in the conference room they’d commandeered as a command post all night, everyone too wired to sleep. Dorian and Dan couldn’t take being cooped up and they set out in an SUV to canvas the area where the truck was last spotted, trying to follow Kai’s fast food wrapper trail, but no luck. There was an all-out search going on but they didn’t know how big of an area they were dealing with. The man could’ve hit an interstate and headed in any direction. He could be halfway to Mexico for all they knew.
All they had to go on was a description of the truck. It didn’t have a license plate to trace and a search of all like models hadn’t provided any clues. Several people had caught a glimpse of the man, but most was of his retreating back. He wore a hoodie and sunglasses, so they couldn’t get a clear shot of his face from the surveillance cameras surrounding the facility.
Wyatt had secured a helicopter and he, Dan and Dorian took off at first light to search the area. Sawyer had wanted to go with them, but he didn’t want to leave Harlow. She was hanging on by a thread. Though her parents hadn’t blamed her for Zoe’s kidnapping, she certainly blamed herself. She’d broken down several times during the evening and as the hours ticked away, she’d become inconsolable. Her body finally gave out and she’d fallen asleep.
Harlow stirred and Sawyer glanced down at her. When those green eyes blinked open, zing went his heart. He was in deep trouble here. He didn’t know this woman, didn’t know anything about her. She could have a boyfriend or even be married, though he’d checked her ring finger and found it blessedly naked. And he’d known her less than a day. But he couldn’t deny the incredible pull. Chemistry, he supposed.
For just a moment, her face was unguarded. She was so incredibly beautiful, it almost hurt to look at her. It pained him to see the instant she remembered her sister was missing. Her features transformed from relaxed to horrified in the blink of an eye. She shot up and ran a hand through her hair.
“Any news?”
He shook his head. “Not yet.”
“What time is it?”
“Just after seven.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed, then jumped to her feet. “I need to use the restroom.”
He stood and watched as she scurried out the door. With a sigh, he ran a hand over his face, the bristles making a rasping noise. He needed to shave and a shower, but he didn’t want to chance being away that long. He spotted Dante, who looked like hell warmed over. He also needed a shave, and his hair was standing on end. Sawyer walked over to him.
“How are you holding up?”
“I swear to God, I’m implanting a tracking chip on that kid as soon as we find him.”
Sawyer didn’t think he was kidding. Heck, he’d volunteer to do the job himself.
#
Kai woke with a start. He wanted to stay awake to protect the girls, but he must’ve dozed off. He remained still, trying to figure out what woke him. Though he couldn’t see Zoe and Jane, he could feel their presence behind him. That’s when he heard it. Shuffling and scratching. Something was trying to get inside their hiding space!
He fumbled around for the flashlight with one shaky hand and the knife with the other. What if it was a bear and he was hungry? Granted, he was pretty sure there weren’t bears in Indiana. Still, whatever it was no doubt had razor sharp claws and pointy teeth.
He found the flashlight and powered it on. The beam shone directly into two beady brown eyes. Kai choked on a scream. He didn’t know who was more scared…him or the curious raccoon he blinded with the light. The raccoon spun around and scurried off and Kai breathed a sigh of relief. That’d been close. He wasn’t afraid of raccoons but that didn’t mean he wanted one chewing on his nose.
While his heart rate slowed back to normal, he listened but didn’t hear any movement behind him. The girls were still asleep. It was pitch black out, so they had time before they needed to get moving. He’d just lie here and make sure no other furry critters tried to climb inside with them.
Kai blinked awake. Darn it, he’d fallen asleep again. Light filtered in through the opening as day broke. Zoe stirred behind him. As far as he could tell, Jane hadn’t moved a muscle all night. He prayed she was still alive.
“Is it time to go?” Zoe asked.
“Yeah.”
Kai checked to make sure the coast was clear before he slid out from their hiding spot. Some of the twigs and branches had tumbled during the night, but for the most part, his make-shift cover stayed intact.
Zoe took Jane to use the bathroom again while he did the same. They ate a breakfast of dry cereal and shared a bottle of water. When Jane was secured on his back, they set off. He hoped they hit civilization today.
A sudden thought struck and he stumbled over a rock in the path.
“Are you okay?” Zoe asked.
“Yeah, sure,” he mumbled. But he wasn’t. Today was the day Dan and Kaitlyn, Luke and Layla were getting married. The whole time they’d been trekking through the woods, he knew if they didn’t come across anyone to help, his dad would find him. But now everyone would be leaving to attend the wedding. And dang it, he wanted to be there, too.
Hours later, they still hadn’t found anyone to help them, nor any sign of life, other than the family of deer that leaped across the path and almost had him peeing his pants. He was seriously afraid they were walking in circles. The only thing that kept him going when his aching, raw feet protested was the knowledge that they were putting distance between themselves and the kidnapper. If they ended up back in his neck of the woods, Kai would cry.
They’d stopped twice for breaks and to eat. They were careful with their supplies, but they were dwindling.
“Hey, look.”
Kai peered around Zoe to see what she was pointing at. It was a lake. For a second, Kai’s heart picked up speed, praying it was Lake Monroe, where he lived. But that hope was quickly dashed. He didn’t recognize the landscape of this one at all. The good news was that if there was a lake, that meant there must be people to enjoy it. Maybe they could find someone camping or fishing. The bad news was that it was starting to get dark already. If they were this close to water, they didn’t want to run the risk of trying to navigate in the dark and falling in.
“This looks like a good place to camp for the night. We can start bright and early in the morning.”
#
Harlow was hanging on by a thread. An entire day had passed and still no sign of Zoe. Still, she’d been impressed at the efforts of the COBRA Securities team. They were efficient and professional and seemed to have unlimited resou
rces.
Sawyer handed her a cup of hot tea, having quickly caught on that she didn’t drink coffee. “Thank you.”
He took the seat next to her. “How are you holding up?”
She took a sip of the hot brew. “About as well as can be expected.” She nodded at the three men who had come back into the room. “They didn’t find anything?” Groups had been taking turns all day flying around the area in a helicopter looking for any trace of the children.
He sighed. “No.”
“How could they have just disappeared?”
Sawyer scrubbed a hand over his jaw, the growth of whiskers making a rasping sound. If she could rouse herself to care, she would admire the sexy look. “My guess is that he’s done this before.”
“You mean you think he’s taken other children?”
“Yes.”
She twisted around to face him. “What makes you think that?”
“The attack was quick and efficient. He knew he could make a grab and be out of the parking lot before anyone could stop him. He scouted the location. He knew the alarm wouldn’t sound on the escape door and he knew where the cameras were located to keep his head down. He wore a disguise and he obscured the license plate. He knew the route to take and then he just disappeared. It was a planned attack.”
“How would he have known Zoe would be there?”
“He didn’t. Any girl would have done. Zoe had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. Her fault. “Have other children gone missing from here?”
“Not recently. One girl from the area disappeared over two years ago and was never found. She was taken from her grandparent’s home. They were her guardians and have since passed.”
How sad. There was no one to push the authorities to keep looking for the girl. She would never stop until Zoe was found. “You sound sure about this.”
Kidnapped (COBRA Securities) Page 4