by Elle James
“Thank you for letting me know,” Chuck stuck out his hand. “What’s your name?”
The man shook his hand with a firm grip. “Lance Rankin.” He nodded toward the police officer who had walked away. “I guess he’s not interested in finding out if the house was looted.”
“It wasn’t, but the sack he was carrying was probably my wife and the crying child was my daughter.” Chuck spied Hank’s truck. “Gotta go find them.”
“Well, good luck, man. If you need anything, look me up. I’d be happy to help.”
“Thanks.”
“Semper Fi,” Lance said.
Chuck did a double take. “Marine?”
Lance nodded. “Fresh out of the military. I’m here to look up a guy named Hank Patterson. I hear he might have some work for me. Want me to help get your wife back?”
“I’ll let you know.” Chuck didn’t want to spend time with introductions to Hank. He’d get around to that after he found Kate and Lyla. He ran toward Main Street as Hank turned down the side street and eased to a stop behind all the emergency vehicles.
Chuck reached the truck before Hank could climb out and come looking for him.
“Good. I wasn’t sure how to find you in that cluster.” Hank backed out onto Main Street and headed out of town.
“Just talked to a marine who saw the people who took Kate and Lyla. They were in a van.”
“Even better,” Hank handed him a device with a green dot blinking on a screen. “Swede was able to get Kate’s tracker to come up. We’re following them.”
Hank leaned forward in his seat. “Where are they going?”
“Looks like they’re headed for Bozeman.”
“Shouldn’t we call the state police and have them head them off?”
Hank tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “I didn’t have an idea of what kind of vehicle they might be in. Go ahead and call it in. Tell them to look for a van.”
Chuck checked his cellphone and cursed. “No service.”
“Want me to head back to town so that you can make that call?”
“How far ahead are they?”
Hank stared down at the device in Chuck’s hand. “I’d say they have a fifteen-minute lead.”
“You got any of your guys south of town or even in Bozeman?”
“Sorry. I have a call out to all of them, but they were assigned to outlying ranches providing security. Duke Morris is in Great Falls. His client owns a plane and offered to fly him into Bozeman in case we need him. Tate Parker is coming in from his ranch. I told him we were headed south and to get on the road toward Bozeman. He might catch up to us by the time we hit the city limits.”
“That’s four of us. You think whoever took Kate and Lyla will put up a fight?”
Hank’s lips pressed into a tight line. “If they’re from the same cult Kujo’s been following, they might. He said the perimeter guards are armed with machine guns.”
Chuck’s gut tightened. “Let’s hope we reach them before they get to Idaho.”
Hank cast a sideways glance at Chuck. “We should be able to catch up to them well before that.”
Thirty miles out of Bozeman, they’d made up at least eight of the fifteen-minute lead Kate’s captors had on them.
Hank shot a glance at the screen. “Uh-oh.” He pulled up a GPS screen of Montana and enlarged the area.
Chuck tensed. “What?”
“Looks like they’re headed for the airport in Three Forks.”
“There’s an airport at Three Forks?” Chuck asked, his heart thudding in his chest.
“A small one used mostly by general aviation flights.”
“We’re six minutes out.” Hank laid his foot hard on the accelerator, pushing his truck past one hundred miles per hour. “Hold on.”
Chuck clutched the armrest and prayed an elk or antelope didn’t step out in front of the vehicle.
Rather than look at the road ahead, he studied the green blip on the screen. It had ceased moving. “They stopped.” Hope rose in his chest. He stared at the dark road in front of the truck. Just a few more miles.
Hang in there, Kate and Lyla, he prayed.
Hank took the Three Forks exit and blew through town. The airport was southwest of the little burg. When it came in sight, Chuck could see the blinking light of a plane taking off into the sky.
“Please don’t be them,” he muttered beneath his breath. His gaze shifted back to the tracking device, and he let out a sigh of relief. The green blip hadn’t moved.
They pulled up to the small airport.
Chuck pointed to a gray van parked near the gate. “There,” he said. “The location device says she’s in there.”
Hank skidded to a stop behind the vehicle and both men jumped out.
Chuck pulled his handgun from the holster beneath his jacket and aimed it at the vehicle. “Cover me. I’m going in.”
“Got your six,” Hank reassured.
Chuck eased toward the van and around the side. The sliding door was open all the way, and the interior was empty.
Chuck cursed. “That plane that just left…I think they were on it.” He leaned into the van and shined his cellphone flashlight at the interior. Something glinted beneath the beam.
Chuck pulled out the necklace with the tracking chip and clutched it in his palm. “They’re on their own. We can’t track them.” He stared up into the sky, but the plane that had taken off was long gone, swallowed up by the indigo night sky.
Hank pulled out his cellphone. “I’m calling Kujo to give him the heads-up. Hopefully, that’s where their abductors plan to go. If not, we have no way of locating them on the US continent.”
Chuck pocketed the necklace and straightened, his heart in the vicinity of his knees, all hope fading. “What next, boss?”
“I’m going to reroute the plane Duke is in and have them land at this airport. We can fly out to just about anywhere. I’ll get Swede on tracking the plane that left here. It must have a transponder code—unless they didn’t file a flight plan and are flying without using instruments to guide them.”
“And if Swede can’t track them?”
“I’m putting a call into Kujo to stake out the closest airstrip to the cult community. If that’s their destination, they might fly there.”
“And where will we fly?” Chuck asked.
“Aiming for Idaho.” Hank pulled out his cellphone and dialed. “My gut tells me that’s where we’ll find them.” His attention turned to his cellphone. “Kujo, we have a problem I hope you can help us with.”
Hank coordinated with Kujo and the other Brotherhood Protectors originally en route to Bozeman. Kujo would stake out the airport. Duke and Bear would meet them at the Three Forks Airport for pickup when the plane from Helena arrived.
Meanwhile, Chuck paced, wondering what was happening with Kate, praying they weren’t on a wild goose chase to the wrong location. Kate and Lyla could be flying to Canada or Mexico, for all they knew. If they didn’t locate them in the first forty-eight hours, they might never find them. Hell, they hadn’t found Rachel and it had been almost a week since she’d disappeared.
Chuck walked faster, his steps taking him to the end of the taxiway. He turned and walked back in time to see Bear arrive.
Hank briefed them on the situation and had them meet at his truck. He opened the tool box to display an entire array of AR15s, similar to the M4A1 with SOPMOD upgrades used by members of DEVGRU. His stock also included handguns, Ka-Bar knives and ammunition.
Each man selected dark clothing, black armored vests, helmets, night vision goggles and communications equipment, testing the radios as they waited for the plane to arrive. They packed the equipment in the go-bags Hank provided.
By the time they were ready, a plane touched down on the runway and taxied over to where they were waiting.
Steps were lowered and John Wayne “Duke” Morris stepped down and crossed the tarmac. “Thought we were landing in a cow pasture.” He extended his han
d to Hank. The two shook. “The pilot has instructions to take us anywhere we want to go, courtesy of Lena Love.”
“The actress?” Bear asked. “You still covering her six?”
“Between Angel and I, we’ve got her covered.”
“I thought she was a raging lunatic,” Bear said.
“She is, but she trusts us to keep her from jumping off the deep end or someone shooting her because she’s so hard to get along with.” Duke chuckled. “We don’t put up with her crap. I think she respects that.”
“You sure you’re still good for working with her?” Hank asked. “We don’t need the business so much you have to put up with her orneriness.”
“Don’t worry.” Duke waved a hand. “We have it covered. Besides the job has its perks. We’re supposed to fly to St. Maarten Island in the Caribbean soon for a movie location shoot. That should be interesting.”
The whole time they were talking, Hank was handing Duke the same equipment he’d outfitted Bear and Chuck with.
Duke weighed the AR15 in his hands. When he looked up, his eyebrows were high. “Are we expecting an all-out war?”
“We don’t know what exactly to expect, but if we learn Kate and Lyla have been taken to the cult’s location in Idaho, we have some intel. Kujo’s been there on reconnaissance.” Hank handed him a helmet and night vision goggles. “They’ve set up the perimeter with machine guns and loads of ammunition.”
“Sounds like a friendly bunch. All on American soil. Go figure.” He shook his head and helped himself to magazines full of ammunition for the rifle and handgun he selected.
Once Duke had all he needed, they loaded into the plane and the pilot set a course for the airstrip closest to where Kujo had been hanging out in the mountains of Idaho.
Normally, Chuck’s gut was a reliable gauge of what was happening. But this time, all he could feel was cold dread. Perhaps he was too heavily invested in the outcome. Worst case scenario, the plane Kate and Lyla were on would crash. Much like the story of his wife and child. Or the team would get there too late to save Kate and Lyla from whatever horrific fate the cult had in store for them. Or they’d get there to discover Kate and Lyla weren’t there at all and never were. They’d have to start their search all over. At least in the last scenario, they might have the chance of finding them alive.
Chuck forced himself to think positive. Kate and Lyla were at the cult’s camp. They’d swoop in and rescue them and Rachel.
He’d tell Kate he loved her. She’d tell him the same, and they’d live happily ever after.
A man had to have his dreams. Otherwise, life wasn’t worth living.
Chapter 12
Kate came to with a splitting headache, her face lying against a cold, hard floor and darkness. She blinked her eyes several times just to make sure she was actually awake and not in some terrible nightmare.
Pain throbbed in her hip where it lay against the solid floor. She shifted and moaned.
Soft sobbing echoed against the walls, forcing Kate to go that extra little bit to full consciousness. “Hello,” she called out.
The sobbing grew louder.
“Hey, who’s there?” she called out, the hairs on the back of her neck standing at attention. The sobs sounded soft and feminine, but not childlike.
Child. Lyla!
Kate pushed to a sitting position. “Lyla?”
“She’s not here,” a voice said from a different direction. “I don’t know where they took her.”
Kate knew that voice. It sounded so much like hers. “Rachel?” Oh, dear, sweet Lord. “Rachel? It’s you.”
More sobs sounded from the other side of the room. Were there two women?
Kate ignored the sobs and felt her way across the floor until she bumped into another person. “Rachel?” Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her face.
Rachel’s cold arms wrapped around her. “Oh, Kate. They have Lyla.” She shook with the force of her silent sobs. The woman in the other corner had the market on noisy crying.
“I tried to keep her safe,” Kate said. “They tricked us by setting the house next door on fire.”
“You did the best you could. I should have known I couldn’t keep her safe. Once you’re in their fold, they don’t give up. They don’t let go.” Rachel hugged Kate, laying her head on Kate’s shoulder. “I tried to make a run for it, but they found me. And now they have Lyla.”
“We’ll get her out of here. You’ll see.” Kate forced confidence into her voice. Though she wasn’t sure how she’d make it happen, she would get Rachel and Lyla out of this hell.
“I tried to protect her. When they said she had to marry at eight years old, I knew we couldn’t stay. They do horrible things to the women and young girls. I didn’t see it at first. When I did, I begged Myles to leave. But he wouldn’t listen. They brainwashed him. He became just like James.”
“Who’s James?” Kate asked.
“James Royce, the leader of the People of Ascension. He says he’s the voice of God.” She cried into Kate’s shirt. “What man of God preys on little girls?”
“None, sweetie.” Kate smoothed a hand over Rachel’s hair. “He’s a monster.”
“And that’s why I had to leave.”
Kate held her sister close, thankful they were finally together. If only the circumstances could have been different. “Why didn’t you leave sooner?”
“I didn’t know. They keep their secrets until you’re assimilated into the cult. I just happened to take longer than the others. Myles and I lived on the outskirts in a log cabin. We grew our own food, taught Lyla to respect nature and I thought we had a good life. Until Myles was inducted into the inner circle. He changed. From the kind, gentle man and father of our child to an evil, horrible being willing to give over his own daughter to the leader as one of his wives.”
Kate’s heart lodged in her throat. “That’s what they wanted? To make Lyla one of the leader’s wives? She’s only three years old.”
“I know. At first, I thought it was just a way to protect her. James’s wives and children are treated the best. They get the best food, the best lodging and clothing. The community shares the bounty of each family’s harvest. But I never saw James’s family contribute to the rest. When I asked why, I was beaten with a broomstick.”
“Oh, Rachel. Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”
Rachel shrugged against her. “We barely talked anymore. Myles and I had already given up so many worldly things like television and telephones. When I could get to town and call you, I thought you wouldn’t believe me if I told you what was going on. And I tried to convince Myles to leave and take our family somewhere far away from the madness.”
“And what did he say?” Kate clenched her fists, already knowing it hadn’t been good.
“He told James what I’d said. James gave him a leather strap and told him the only way to bring me in line was to beat the resistance out of me. I had to be taught what was expected.” Rachel cried harder. “And he did. He beat me. Myles wasn’t the sweet, kind man I married anymore. I couldn’t stay. But I had no money, and I couldn’t take much with me. All I could do was walk with Lyla out of the woods, all the way to a highway, where I hitched a ride with a kind, old trucker who took me all the way to California.”
Kate’s heart ached for her sister. All the while Rachel had been suffering, Kate had been living the life of a high-powered executive, with more money than she could ever spend. Shame made her heart heavy. “I’m so sorry, Rachel. I should have known. I should have been there for you.”
Rachel shook her head. “You couldn’t have known. I didn’t tell you. I was afraid and ashamed of what I’d let happen. Running away seemed the only option. I don’t know what would have happened if the truck driver hadn’t been going my way. He even went as far as to give me enough money to take a taxi to your apartment, and he bought a stuffed animal for Lyla. I owe that man my life.”
Kate smiled though her heart ached. So that’
s where Lyla had gotten Sid Sloth, perhaps her first and only stuffed animal. When they got out of the mess they were in, Auntie Kate was going to give that child all the stuffed animals she could ever want and to hell with James Royce.
The sobs grew louder from the woman in the corner.
“Who is she?” Kate asked.
“Margaret, one of the sister wives James grew tired of. When he no longer has a use for them, he kicks them out of his house, claiming they’ve sinned.” Rachel snorted. “The only sin they’ve committed is being trapped in this hell.”
“How long have you been here?” Kate asked.
“They caught me the day after I left Lyla with you. I’ve been here in this cell ever since.”
“Oh, Rachel. I’m so sorry.” Kate hugged her sister. “We’re going to get out of here. I swear on my life. And we’re going to get Lyla out as well. I love that little girl. She’s amazing.”
Rachel laughed, the sound breaking on a sob. “I’ve missed her so much. I tried hard to give her a normal life, despite James and his insanity. She deserves a chance to be a child. She deserves happiness.”
“Yes, she does. And we’re going to give it to her.” Kate pushed to her feet. “Do they feed you and let you relieve yourself?”
Rachel let Kate pull her to her feet. “Twice a day they bring a meal. Once in the morning and again in the evening. We use a bucket in the other corner to relieve ourselves. Someone comes in once a day to empty it.”
“Is it always dark in here?” Kate couldn’t get over how pitch-black it was in the cell.
“When the sun comes up, we get a little light from beneath the doorway. Other than that, yes.” Rachel sighed. “I’ve felt my way around the entire room. It’s made of concrete blocks. I’ve even used the handle on the waste can to try and chink away at the grout, thinking I might dig my way out eventually. It’s no use. This cell is escape-proof.”
Kate’s jaw hardened. “Nothing is escape-proof when people are involved.” She reached for her sister again and hugged her close. “We have each other. You know we’re stronger when we work together.”