by L. P. Dover
The back door opened and my heart raced, like it always did when I made a new kill. I got into position, but the first person out—a rotund lady with dark, curly hair—wasn’t my target. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slow, before sliding my finger away from the trigger.
I didn’t enjoy killing people, but it was my job. The only satisfaction I got was knowing I rid the world of a worthless human being, one who couldn’t harm others anymore. Most of the notorious mobsters stuck to murdering their own people when they felt betrayed. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the way they all were. The man I hoped to snare in my sights today was not only guilty of murdering innocents, but he was the leader of a pedophile ring. He spent most of his time trafficking young girls and boys as sex slaves for overseas. The fucker had gotten away with it for far too long.
The back door opened again and I slid my finger over the hairpin trigger. Bryce walked out in a crisp, gray suit, followed by two other men. They looked out of place walking through the dirty alley. My brother had changed so much in the past year, I almost didn’t recognize him. His light brown hair was gelled back and he strutted down the alley like an arrogant douche.
None of these men were my mark. “What’s going on, brother?” I mumbled to myself.
The target’s name was Tony Greco, a middle-aged man with a wife and two daughters. Knowing he had teenage girls, I couldn’t see how the scumbag could sell kids as sex slaves. It made me so goddamn sick, I didn’t feel bad about taking his life.
“All right, motherfucker, where are you?” I growled, ready to get it over with.
The back door opened and he walked into the moonlight, rubbing his belly with a smile on his face. Rage consumed me and I pulled the trigger, wiping the smile off his face with a bullet to the forehead.
Shouts echoed through the alley, and I wasted no time in getting out of there. In a matter of minutes, his henchmen would no doubt pinpoint the direction of the shot. I secured my rifle inside a hidden compartment in my suitcase, then charged for the door to the stairs. By the time I made it down to the lobby, I turned the corner just as Bryce and the other men stormed through the front. Bryce looked exactly like one of them, and I prayed to God he’d get out before he stayed that way.
“Good luck,” I whispered, watching him disappear up the stairs. Turning on my heel, I hurried out of the door to the bustling streets. Once I was secured in a cab and on my way to LaGuardia, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. I was more than ready to get back to Wyoming. Three weeks was too long in the big city.
My phone rang and I thought it’d be Bryce, but it wasn’t. “What can I do for you, Chief?”
Colton Myers was the chief of police back in Wyoming. His call wasn’t unusual, because they often called me and my brothers when there were cases the local PD couldn’t solve. “I need your help,” he replied, his voice shaking.
The cab driver pulled up to the airport entrance and I passed him a wad of bills before getting out. “What’s going on? I’m about to get on a flight to head home.”
“Good. I’ll drop these files off with Reed, so you can see them when you get back.”
The din of the bustling city made it hard to hear him, but I could tell he was distraught. “Files for what?”
He sighed heavily. “You know how there’ve been missing hikers in Montana?”
“Yeah, I saw something about it before I left for New York.” It wasn’t uncommon for tourists to sway from the hiking trails or test their limits by doing stupid shit. Most of those people found themselves dead. I liked to climb the cliffs, but I was good at it.
“We’re missing people here too,” Colton confessed.
“It happens every year. Why does this case shock you?” I’d been gone for three weeks, so I hadn’t even paid attention to what was going on in Wyoming.
He huffed angrily. “About three weeks ago, eight men supposedly went missing in our mountains. Just this morning, I couldn’t get a hold of Grace. Her boss also called me and said she never showed up at their meeting last night. Her car is still at the hotel. It’s like she disappeared.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I growled low.
Grace was his daughter and a good friend of mine. Hell, I’d wanted to be more than that for quite some time. I only held back from pursuing her out of respect for her father. She was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever known.
“Please, Ian. I have to find her.”
Hurrying through the doors, impatience flooded through my veins. “We’ll find her, if it’s the last thing I do . . . I swear.”
Colton’s truck was at the ranch when I arrived. Inside, he and Reed were at the kitchen table, files scattered across it. Reed was frustrated, running a hand through his dark hair as he paced back and forth. He’d grown up so much over the past couple of years. Now, at age twenty-six, he was an assassin, just like me and the rest of our brothers. Colton looked up from the table, uniform wrinkled, his gray hair in disarray.
I dropped my suitcase and hurried over. “I got here as fast as I could.”
Patting Colton on the back, I could feel him shake as he picked up a picture of Grace. Every time I’d talked to her in the past, it was easy to get sucked under her spell. She was beautiful, sure, but the adventurous side of her made her even more desirable.
I gently took the picture from Colton. Grace’s golden, hazel eyes stared back at me; an urgent need to find her brought my blood to a boil.
“She’s the only female missing,” he murmured sadly. “Her car is still at the hotel.” Lips trembling, he closed his eyes. “Some of her blood was found on the ground just outside the driver’s door, along with her purse and phone.”
“Is she seeing someone?” I asked. Before I left for New York she was still single. But anything could happen over three weeks’ time. “Maybe she’s with her boyfriend?”
Colton shook his head. “She’s not dating anyone. I’m sure she would’ve said something.”
“Have you checked the video feed at the hotel to see if she left with someone?”
“My men are on it right now.” A tear slid down his weathered face. “I just want to find her.”
Reed met my gaze and huffed. “I don’t get it.” He pointed at the files on the table. “Half of these missing people are from around this area. It’s not like they’re tourists being idiots.”
I picked up one of the files and opened it. The man’s name was Chuck McEntire, a computer salesman at a local tech shop. You could tell he wasn’t active by the size of his beer gut. If he was hiking the Grand Tetons, he wouldn’t have gotten far.
“Any signs of a struggle?” I asked, glancing at Colton.
Colton blew out a breath. “Nope. Chuck’s car never left his driveway. His wife got home from work and couldn’t find him. It’s like he disappeared into thin air.” He scooped up the rest of the files and handed them to me. “In fact, all these cases are the same. No struggles, or any indication of foul play. Other than the blood found outside Grace’s vehicle.”
I stared down at Grace’s picture. “Maybe she’s not connected to the others.”
“I sure as hell hope not. The others haven’t been found.” Colton swallowed hard and turned his head away from the picture. “If anyone hurts my little girl, I’ll goddamn kill them with my bare hands.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “You and me both. Let me know what your guys find. I’ll see what we can do in the meantime.”
He nodded. “Thanks, Chandler. I know you have to remain inconspicuous around here, but any help you can give would be appreciated.”
“Anything for you.” He shook my outstretched hand and left.
Taking a seat, I searched through all the files for the next few hours. There were no clues, no leads, nothing. It was as if I was looking at ghosts.
Grace
Fingers tingling and legs numb, I jerked awake when someone let loose an ear-deafening scream. The back of my head throbbed from where I’d been hit. I tried to move
, but my hands were tied behind my back, and my legs at the ankles. I initially thought I’d dreamt the scream, but then the blindfold over my eyes brought me back to reality.
It smelled like I was in a barn; the scent of horse shit and urine hung in the air. Judging by the hay under my body, my inclination was right. Mouth dry, and stomach growling, I had no clue how much time had gone by.
The man screamed again and I gasped, my voice raspy and low. I barely had the energy to speak, much less scream.
“Let me out of here!” the man shouted, his voice reverberating around the room.
He sounded close. Taking a deep breath, I tried my best to crawl across the floor. I couldn’t see anything, so I had no clue where I was going. “Hello?” I called out.
Breathing hard, the man shifted in what could only be surprise. He then cried out, “Who’s there?”
I swallowed hard. “Grace Myers. Who are you?”
“Chuck McEntire. I have to get out of here. They’re going to kill me.” He was so frantic, I thought he’d have a heart attack.
Chills ran through my body. I’d never felt true fear before, but this situation had me terrified. “Who’s going to kill you?” I asked, feeling my eyes burn behind the blindfold.
“I don’t know. I recognized one of their voices, but I can’t think straight right now. They said they’re going to let me go and hunt me down, just like all the others.” He started crying.
I jerked my hands back and forth, hoping to break free of the rope that bound me together. All it did was rub my skin raw. “What about me?” I asked, terrified.
“They’re going to kill you too. It’s what they do. Someone clearly wants us dead.”
Frozen in shock, I couldn’t comprehend the thought. Someone wanted me dead? Why? I hadn’t done anything to anyone to make them want to kill me. Terror ripped through my core, but I held back any further cries, my tears silently soaking into the blindfold. This kind of thing happened in the movies, not in real life. How the hell did I end up in this mess?
“Someone’s coming,” Chuck whispered.
The only thing I could hear was my pulse pounding in my ears; it was deafening. Holding my breath, I laid perfectly still on the dirt floor and small piles of hay. I’d always been a strong woman, but in that moment, I felt weak and vulnerable.
The hinges on the barn door creaked open. Footsteps sounded on the wood as they approached. Then, I heard his voice. “Ready to play, Chucky boy?” I’d never heard the voice before, all dark, deep and sinister. It sent chills down my spine.
“Who are you?” Chuck shouted, the sound of him scrambling around on the floor reached my ears.
The laugh that escaped the captor’s lips made me tremble in fear. “I’m not the one who wants you dead, but you’re about to find out.” Another scuffle, and Chuck screamed. Squeezing my eyes shut, I blocked out his cries until they were muted from something being put over his mouth.
“Ready to meet your maker?” the captor asked.
More muffled screams. Then, everything went silent. I held my breath, not wanting to miss a thing. I had to know what was going to happen to me. The sound of footsteps drew closer and Chuck’s screams turned into outright anger. I could hear the rage even though he couldn’t voice his words.
“All right, gentlemen, this is how the game works. Chuck, I’m going to untie your ankles. Then all you have to do is run.”
Run? What the hell was going on? Chuck had said they were going to hunt him down like all the others. Was this some Game of Thrones type of shit?
“Run, Chuck!” the captor shouted with a laugh.
A few minutes passed and an engine roared to life, almost like a four-wheeler or dirt bike. Dread settled in my gut because I knew the hunting had begun. It was a game that obviously no one won, except for the hunter. Each second that passed, I felt sicker and sicker. I swallowed down the bile, feeling as if I was going to puke, but I knew there was nothing in my stomach.
It wasn’t long before I heard the gunshot, and then another, along with yips of joy.
Chuck was dead . . . and I wasn’t about to be next. One way or another, I had to find a way to escape.
“Gra-ace,” the captor sang out tauntingly.
It felt like I was in a haunted house, where the monsters had learned my name and kept calling it out. I sucked in a silent breath and laid still. The doors to the barn creaked open and I heard him draw near. It was like I could feel his body next to mine as he stood over me. His expensive cologne wafted through the air, muting the stench of the barn.
“I know you’re awake. No use in pretending otherwise.” He hauled me up by the arms, causing me to gasp. Because of the blindfold, I couldn’t see his face. “I’m glad to see you’re okay. At first, I worried I might’ve hit you too hard last night.”
Last night? That meant I’d been gone for a while. Surely, my father would have the whole PD out looking for me by now. “What do you want with me?” I spat, working hard on turning my fear into anger. It was what my father had taught me to do.
“Feisty,” he teased. His fingers grazed down my neck and over my breasts.
“Don’t fucking touch me.” I tried to jerk out of his hold, but he was too strong.
“I’m going to enjoy having you around for a while,” he said, bursting with laughter. “You’re very entertaining.”
“And you’re going to die once my father finds you.”
He grabbed my chin hard and I cried out in pain. “No one’s going to find me, or you, for that matter. Enjoy your last night.”
I hissed when I felt a pinch on my arm, followed by an overwhelming sense of warmth through my veins. The sensation had me needing to vomit. Then a sense of peace washed over me, but I knew that wouldn’t last for long.
Ian
“There’s nothing!” Colton shouted through the phone.
I hurried into the basement where Reed was lifting weights in our gym. “What do you mean there’s nothing?”
Reed dropped the weights, brows furrowing as he stared at me. I pressed the speakerphone button and held up my phone so he could hear. A door slammed in the background.
“The surveillance videos at the hotel were messed up. Everything’s running along smoothly, until Grace walks out of the hotel the second time after being with Jared and Andrew. After that, there’s nothing until she’s gone. I talked to Brad Sawyer, the head of security. Nobody other than him and the owners are allowed inside the security room.”
My pulse spiked. “Have you talked to the hotel owner?”
“Yes. His name’s Charles Beckett, and he’s a good friend of mine. I know he loves Grace like his own.” His voice trembled. “I’m in the process of interviewing the hotel staff now. So far, everyone seems genuinely shocked. I’m not picking up on anything amiss.”
“Maybe they’re just that good,” I huffed. “You and I both know how fucked up people can be.” Reed agreed with a nod.
“True. But that’s what makes this so hard. I know a lot of the hotel staff.”
I met Reed’s gaze and sighed. “Let me know how the rest of the interviews go. Reed’s good at finding things other people can’t. Maybe there’s something that just hasn’t been found.”
Colton blew out a heavy breath. “I sure as hell hope so. I’m getting desperate.”
He hung up and I pocketed my phone. “Think you can find something?”
Reed wiped the sweat off his forehead with the hem of his T-shirt. “I’ll get right on it.” He charged up the stairs and sat down on the couch with his laptop.
Ever since he was a young boy, Reed had always showed interest in electronics. There was nothing he couldn’t grasp. You could hand him a new gadget and he’d figure out how to use it within five minutes. The FBI took notice of that when he joined and they gave him special computer training. He could hack into any account in the world, breaking through the most hardcore protective software. The guy was a genius.
Time dragged on as I watched the su
n disappear behind the mountains. I wanted to do something, but wasn’t sure what help I could provide. The only thing I could think of was to get inside the hotel and talk to the staff myself. No one in my town knew I worked for the FBI, or that my father was the infamous Glenn Chandler, owner of a multi-billion-dollar company and former FBI agent who started the Circle of Justice.
To retain some anonymity with the FBI, Bryce, Reed, and myself had moved back to our family’s land in Wyoming. It gave us the freedom my oldest brother, Wade, didn’t have. He’d stayed in Charlotte and inherited the company. It suited him well. Which was good news for me. I wasn’t a suit-wearing kind of guy.
It’d been almost a full twenty-four hours since Grace went missing, and it pissed me off there was nothing I could do. This was different than hunting people on the list. But someone at the hotel had messed with the video feed, which meant Grace’s abduction was planned.
“Anything yet?” I called out to Reed.
His voice echoed down the hall to my study. “Possibly. I’m looking into something else right now. Give me one more minute.”
My desk was cluttered with all the missing persons’ files. The disappearances had started about a month ago. With the exception of Grace, all of them were men who’d worked in various jobs and had no ties to one another. There were no similarities.
My cell rang and I huffed, dropping Grace’s file onto my desk. “Yeah,” I answered, not even paying attention to the name on the screen.
“Good evening to you too, son,” my father laughed.
Sighing, I rubbed a hand over my face. “Sorry, Dad. I’ve had a bad day.”
“Everything okay? It’s not Bryce, is it?” With Bryce being gone for over a year, my father endlessly worried about him.
“He’s fine,” I assured. “I just got back from New York. He’s in deep right now.”
“I wish you could’ve talked some sense into him. He needs to come home.”