Wax placed her limp form onto the floor before he faced Rachel. “Shall we begin?”
Rachel shook her head. “No. You don’t have to do this.”
He stepped closer. “But I do. You and Ava are the last pieces of my puzzle to complete.”
Her fearful eyes turned hard. “You can kill us, but you won’t get away with it. I can promise you this.”
He chuckled at her spunk but didn’t respond. There was work to do. Wax went to the altar he’d set up and lit the burner beneath the vat of wax that had gone cold. He’d perfected the combination of soy and beeswax. The vanilla and Tonka bean essential oils. Then came the mica powder to give the pearl white, champagne gold and opal shimmer.
Once the wax melted, he stirred it carefully until it was blended to perfection.
Behind him, Ava stirred.
He turned and went over to where she lay. He leaned down and got into her face. “You disappoint me.”
She glared at him. “You think I care?”
He jerked back. Just like her mother.
“You’re a monster and you deserve to die.”
He resisted the urge to strike her. He wanted her statue to be perfect.
“Before I kill Rachel and then you, I’ll explain how you and I are connected and you can die knowing you are my daughter.”
Chapter Twenty
Blood and Betrayal
Shadow woofed before the welcoming sight of headlights appeared over the nearby ridge.
“Good boy, Shadow. Let’s go get her.” Never were two Arctic Cats more of a welcome sight than they were right now.
The first one pulled up next to Caleb and the dog.
Rhett opened the door. Shadow barely waited for the door to open before leaping inside.
Novak and Harper got into the back next to Jace and Brynn Adler, another member of Caleb’s search and rescue team. Caleb slipped in front with Shadow whose body was coiled tight, ready for the search to bring Ava home.
“We have the coordinates,” Rhett told him as he put the machine into drive and used the GPS screen to guide him. “The rest of the team is with our search and rescue members, Beck Holt and Grace Shaw. We have a couple of Redeemed agents in the rear Cat too, along with their dogs. Hopefully, the choppers and the rest of our backup will be able to lift off soon.”
Caleb watched the GPS and there was no doubt. They were heading straight for Black Veil Peak. “I don’t get it. There’s no way inside that mountain.”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Rhett told him. “I guess we’re about to find out.”
Please, don’t let us be too late.Caleb sat back in his seat and tried to relax. They’d need all the firepower they could get. Lack of sleep and the physical exertion they’d gone through weighed down his thought processes.
The Cat’s tracks moved across the deep snow effortlessly. The enclosed cab and heater kept them comfortable. Yet all Caleb could think about was the fact that Ava’s worst nightmare was coming true. He couldn’t lose her. Not to this monster.
Novak’s phone rang and he seemed surprised. “Can’t believe we’ve still got service.” He answered the call and listened. “You’re kidding. Yes, it’s coming in now.” More silence followed and then. “That’s good to hear. We’ll see you soon.” Novak ended the call. Caleb looked back at him and knew something big had been revealed.
“We have a name for Wax. It’s Harlan Lockfield.”
The name sounded so normal.
“He owns the mine.” Caleb figured it out.
“Yep. We had to dig through numerous shell corporations before we found it. Lockfield’s mother abandoned the family when he was a kid. His father disappeared thirty years ago. Lockfield had him declared dead and claimed the mine as well as all the money for himself. There was an aunt, his father’s sister, still living but she appeared to vanish as well.”
