“But if you do, you’re going to want to have me around.”
“Only if you get hold of the memory stick and have to access it for some reason.”
“Like if the memory stick is going to be destroyed and you need someone to remember the coordinates. Isn’t it best to have a backup?”
“We could download them onto a computer or take a photograph with a cell phone,” he pointed out.
I shook my head. “Not if there isn’t time, or we’re in a situation where there is no cell phone or computer.”
“If there’s no computer, you won’t be able to access the memory stick in the first place.”
I took a breath, trying to compose myself, gritting my teeth. Why the hell wouldn’t he just give in to this? “Okay, well, what if it’s Hollan’s computer we’re using, and there’s no other way to transfer the data?”
The men exchanged glances.
Kingsley lifted his eyebrows at Devlin. “She’s got you there.”
“All I’m trying to say is that I have abilities that will be put to better use out there than hiding in here, and that’s before we even get started on the fact that it’s my aunt we’re going after, and that she’s far more likely to come back if I can talk to her sensibly rather than a group of men aiming guns at her head.”
“I think she’ll come back if we’re all aiming guns at her head,” Clay pointed out, and I shot him a glare.
Devlin sighed again. “Okay, you can join the men.” He jabbed his index finger in my direction. “Don’t make me regret it.”
I shook my head, trying to hold back the elation that rose inside me. “I won’t.” I shouldn’t be happy at the idea of having to track down my aunt and possibly face Hollan again, but I was.
I just hoped we’d reach Aunt Sarah before Hollan.
Chapter Nineteen
Isaac took charge, giving everyone instructions. “We need to leave ASAP. We don’t know how far she might have gotten, or even if Hollan has picked her up already.”
“She might not have contacted Hollan,” I said hopefully. “She might have just thought she’d had enough of all this and be heading home.” If she hadn’t taken one of the vans we’d arrived here in, then she would have walked. She was a physically fit woman, but that would be a hell of a walk.
“If she hasn’t, we’ll pick her up along the way, and hope no harm has come from this.”
I swallowed hard. No harm, meaning the location of this place hadn’t been compromised by my aunt. Right now, the remaining Sullivan family wasn’t proving to be too hot on security.
Packs containing necessary equipment—new weapons, ammo, cell phones—had been laid out for the men, and they each went to collect them. I watched Isaac swipe up the small tracker Devlin had shown us the previous day and deposit it in his pocket.
“Stay in touch.” Devlin placed his hand on Isaac’s shoulder. “I want to know as soon as there are any developments.”
Isaac nodded, his expression stern. “I will.”
We caught the elevator again, all six of us crammed into the small space, squashed shoulder to shoulder. Above us, the hatch lifted automatically, allowing the metal box to rise out of the ground. The doors opened, and we stepped out into the cleared logging area, blinking in the bright light. Insects buzzed around my face, and I batted them away. It always felt so strange to be back in the fresh air and sunshine when I’d spent any time beneath ground—as though the rest of the world had ceased to exist. I took a deep breath of forest air into my lungs and looked around in case there was a chance Sarah had been sitting up here, just out of sight of the cameras, all this time. But she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the beauty of the forest struck me with an almost visceral emotion. The trees around us were heading into fall leaves, an oil painting of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. I wanted to run between the tree trunks, lose myself in the innocence of nature, and forget everything that was happening, but I couldn’t.
Had she started walking in the dark, or had she waited until first light?
I prayed it was the second option. It would be far easier to catch up if she’d only managed to get a few miles down the road.
We set off at a fast walk, following the cleared track back down the hill and around the corner, toward the gate with the warning sign nailed to it. Isaac led the way, while Clay and Alex flanked me, Lorcan not far behind, and Kingsley bringing up the rear. Everyone moved with purpose, and the men had lost the more relaxed attitude they’d had while we’d been in the base. Now they were on high alert again, their fingers never far from the grips of the guns they’d been supplied with. They were watching out for an ambush, in case this had all been a way of luring us out.
Despite the obvious tension, I felt better now that it was the six of us again. This felt right, the way we were together. Even though my stomach was twisted in knots, having the five of them with me helped to make me believe things would come right again. We’d find Aunt Sarah and get her to believe me, whatever the cost.
I didn’t like to think about what we’d do if she refused to take our side. The betrayal of that hurt more than I wanted to give thought to.
We passed through the gate, and the pointless fence that only went on a few feet on either side. All the vehicles, minus the van that had delivered us, were still there. So, my aunt hadn’t managed to steal one, though the thought had seemed ludicrous. That could be a good or a bad thing. Either Sarah won’t have gotten far, or else she knew someone was coming to give her a ride.
Isaac pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. Devlin must have given the keys to him while we’d been back at base. “We’ll drive back in the direction we came from and hope we spot her on the road,” he said, heading to the driver’s door of a van similar to the one we’d arrived in. Dried mud was splashed up the sides of the bodywork, and it looked every bit a workman’s vehicle.
Clay went to the rear of the vehicle. “She might have managed to get a ride with someone passing by.”
Isaac shrugged. “Possibly, but you don’t get many cars on this road.”
“My aunt also isn’t in the habit of hitchhiking,” I pointed out.
I couldn’t picture Sarah walking down the road with her thumb sticking out. I doubted she’d accept a ride from someone who pulled over and offered either. She had a suspicious nature.
With Isaac driving, I rounded the front of the van and climbed into the passenger seat to join him. If anyone was going to talk down my aunt, it would be me. I wanted her to see my face first and see how much worry she’d put me through. The others all piled in the back, and then the doors slammed shut behind them.
Isaac started up the van, and I sat up straight, leaning forward, craning my neck, as though that would make her more visible to me. I longed to spot her sitting on one of the felled tree trunks, a disapproving expression on her face, and her explaining to me how she’d felt claustrophobic and simply had to get out of there. I didn’t think that was going to happen, however.
We bumped and jolted over the uneven terrain, until we were back on the road again. Isaac drove slower than normal, aware we might come across Sarah walking down the side of the road. It wasn’t as though there were sidewalks all the way out here. The road gave way to forest on either side, a blanket of fallen, brightly colored leaves blurring the edges between nature and manmade.
Clay leaned forward from the seat behind and placed his hand on my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. “We’ll find her, sugar. She can’t have gone far.”
I didn’t want to take my eyes off the road for a second, so I covered his hand with mine and squeezed back in return. I sensed the tension radiating off Isaac—nothing new for him—but everyone else had been good about Sarah leaving. None of them had berated me and made me feel it was my fault.
Because we’d made the journey here in the back of the van, and I hadn’t been able to get a good look at the road, the route we took now was unfamiliar. We also seemed to have the road to ourselves, and on the rare occ
asion a vehicle passed us in the opposite direction, I found myself staring into the windows of the passing car, picking out its inhabitants and wondering if I’d see my aunt with them.
The longer we spent in the van, the more miles we put between us and the base. My fears that Hollan had picked her up increased with every mile we covered. I questioned myself the whole time, wishing I’d done things differently. If only I’d paid more attention to her. If only I’d gone to see her after dinner, instead of running to my room and taking comfort in Kingsley’s arms instead.
“She couldn’t have gotten this far on foot,” I said, shooting Isaac a worried look.
“She could if she left last night.”
I shook my head. “She’d be exhausted. I don’t think she’s physically capable of walking this far.”
“People can surprise you when they’re under pressure.”
I didn’t reply, but inside I knew he was wrong. I knew my aunt. She might have walked some of it, but if she had her phone on her, she would have called someone to come pick her up, and chances were that person had been Hollan.
The road became narrow and winding, and, to my frustration, Isaac slowed down the car.
We were never going to find her at this rate.
Chapter Twenty
We rounded a curve in the road, and Isaac slammed on the brakes, throwing us all forward. The seat belt jammed across my shoulder and breasts, punching the breath from my lungs, and automatically I put out my hand to save myself from hitting the dashboard. Cries of surprise and a grunt of pain—which I assumed originated from Lorcan—rose from the guys behind me.
Catching my breath, I looked up to see what had made Isaac stop so suddenly. Several vehicles waited in the road— expensive-looking black cars, identical to the ones that had picked me up at my house all those days ago—and in front of the vehicles were a number of people. My heart crawled up my throat, and every muscle in my body tensed.
They’d known we were coming. They were ready for us.
Hollan stood in front of the cars with his arm around my aunt’s throat, the muzzle of his gun jammed against her temple. He was a short man, but, despite his height, was powerfully built. Sarah looked terrified—her eyes wide behind glasses that were skewed on her face, her skin pale. Her fingers clutched at Hollan’s arm around her neck, but she made no move to try to pull his arm away. The gun was enough of a threat to prevent her from doing so.
I clamped my hand to my mouth. “Oh, God.”
My worst fears had come true. Hollan had reached my aunt before we had. How had she been so stupid? She must have called him as soon as she’d left the base. I berated myself as well. I should have done more to make sure she didn’t leave. It had just never occurred to me that she would take this route.
I couldn’t change the past, but I could make things right again.
Instinctively, I reached for the door handle, but Isaac’s fingers wrapped around my upper arm, holding me back.
I yanked back on him. “What are you doing?”
“If you go out there,” he said, his voice controlled and level, “they’ll take you. The only reason they haven’t started shooting already is because they know you’re in the van and they can’t risk hitting you instead of one of us.”
“But I can’t just leave her!”
His hand remained tight around my arm, our faces only inches from each other. “She showed her alliances, love. Sometimes you have to know when to let people go.”
I shook my head. “No. Sometimes you have to know when not to give up on people.”
I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, catching him off guard. I felt his body relax, responding to my kiss, despite the armed men in front of us. It wasn’t the type of hungry kiss I’d shared with Clay, or Kingsley, or Lorcan, but instead was soft, gentle, even chaste. With Isaac distracted, I slipped my hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out the box he’d placed in there before leaving.
Our lips parted, and his gaze studied my face, trying to read me, wondering why I’d kissed him. Did he think it was my way of saying goodbye?
I lifted my hand—the one not holding the box I’d stolen from him—and placed it to his cheek, the feel of his stubble rough beneath my fingertips.
“Hollan will take me to the location of the memory stick,” I said. “Just take care of my aunt, okay? She didn’t understand what she was doing.”
Confusion flickered across his handsome face. “What?”
I didn’t need to say anything more, knowing he’d soon piece things together. Instead, I turned from him and grabbed the handle of the passenger door and shoved it open.
Isaac reached for me again, but I was ready for him this time. Isaac wasn’t the only one to try to stop me leaving, and Clay grappled for me from behind the seat, but I moved too quickly, darting out of reach.
“Darcy, no,” Isaac growled at me through the open door. “What are you thinking?”
The voices of the others chased me out as well.
Alex called, “Darcy, wait!”
“Stop!” Kingsley commanded.
“What the hell?” was Lorcan’s angry comment.
The sound of them wrung my heart dry. I didn’t want to leave them behind. Hell, it was the absolute last thing I wanted, but I couldn’t see this situation ending any other way. If I didn’t do this, things could go badly wrong. I’d already been responsible for Lorcan getting shot. I wouldn’t allow another person to be hurt because of me.
My feet hit the asphalt of the road, though I kept the van door between me and Hollan and his men in front. I was out fully now, crouching beside the vehicle. I felt sick with nerves and my hands trembled, but I had to do this.
Knowing Isaac and the others could see what I was doing, I flipped open the box I’d taken from Isaac. The view of my actions was hidden from Hollan by the open door, but I knew the guys were able to see, and, gently, I plucked the tiny tracker out of the container and dropped it into my palm. I threw the empty box back into the van and quickly pressed the tracker into the skin of my hairline, not far behind my ear. Isaac’s eyes widened at me, and then looked down at the empty box. He knew exactly what I’d done, and that had been my intention all along.
“Darcy ...” he said.
I shook my head, my eyes wide. “I have to do this. You’ll be able to find me again.”
Moving slowly, I rose from behind the door. All the moisture had sapped from my mouth, and I rolled my tongue, smacking my lips together to try to swallow. As well as the men and cars in the road, I spotted my aunt’s bag, which she’d taken from the house, thrown onto the grassy verge.
There was a cry of alarm as I put myself in full view, though I was unsure if it came from my guys, my aunt, or Hollan’s team. The men aimed their weapons right at me, but Hollan put up a hand. “Don’t shoot the girl!”
I put up both hands as well. “I’m unarmed, Hollan. Let my aunt go. There’s no point in taking both of us!”
Hollan frowned. “What do your friends back there think of you just handing yourself over?”
“They’re not happy about it,” I called, “but what can they do? This is my decision, and they know you’re going to start shooting if I don’t, and someone else is most likely going to end up shot. One of them is still suffering from the gunshot wound he sustained the last time we fought.”
Hollan’s eyes narrowed and he looked suspiciously toward the van containing the five men. He knew they weren’t fighting hard enough for me, but I couldn’t see any way of changing that. It would only take one shot for everyone to react, and then this place would end up as a bloodbath.
“They’ll get me back again,” I told him, hoping that speaking plain truth would work on his ego. “And they trust me enough to know it doesn’t matter what you do to me, I won’t give you the code.”
That seemed to make up his mind. He jerked his head toward me, and two of his men lowered their weapons a fraction and started to approach me.
I took a
couple of steps back. “Let Sarah go first!”
Hollan scowled, but he released my aunt and shoved her forward.
“No, Darcy!” she cried, reaching for me. “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you.”
She clutched at me, just as Hollan’s men caught me by my arms. They shoved her away, and there was a moment of grappling—me reaching for her, them pulling me in the opposite direction, while pushing her away. I heard shouts of anger from the guys still in the van, and I prayed they wouldn’t try to step in now. They’d ruin everything if one of them started shooting. Tears streamed down Aunt Sarah’s face, and the sight of them caused an ache to spread through my chest. It was a rare thing to see my aunt cry. I could probably count the number of times on one hand, and most of those had been after my father—her brother—had died.
“It’s okay, Aunt Sarah,” I called out to her, trying to reassure her, even though I was the one having to leave with Hollan. “Go to the guys. They’ll sort this out.”
My heart tore at the thought of being separated from them all. I wished I could have hugged each of them goodbye, imprint the feel of their arms around me one last time, so I could recall their embraces when things got hard. But I told myself this wouldn’t be for long. They knew what they were doing, and I had the tracker on me—one Hollan wouldn’t find. Hollan would take me to wherever his hideout was, and then he’d get me to break the code on the flash drive.
He wouldn’t know Isaac and the others would be right behind us.
Aunt Sarah stumbled in the direction of the van containing the guys, almost losing her balance. Isaac had climbed out of the driver’s side, and, cautious of the armed men still pointing their weapons, leaned out and reached toward Sarah. He took her hand and pulled her with him behind the door of the van. I was grateful to him for that small act of kindness, drawing her in, bringing her into their protection, even though she had put us all in jeopardy. The others tugged her into the back with them, and I caught sight of her putting her hands over her face, and Alex rubbing her back. My heart tightened in my chest, and my eyes burned with unshed tears. I wished it was me in her place, but I’d made my choices, and now I had to follow them through.
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