“Has anything changed about the location?” Leon asked.
Bree typed for just a couple of seconds then a frown marred her features.
“What?” Tanner asked.
“The channel is still open, but she’s not talking. She hasn’t said anything since letting me know she was there. It’s just oddthat she would get in there and then not say anything else. Even when I asked her a question.”
Tanner looked over at Leon. “This could be a trap.”
He gave a brief nod without taking his eyes off the road. “It doesn’t matter. We are out of time for stealth.”
In less than two minutes they were screeching to a halt in front of a small house. It backed up to the woods, which was probably what had allowed the kidnapper to get the victim inside without being seen. It wouldn’t have been easy, but not impossible.
Bree was climbing out the door as soon as the car stopped.
“Where are you going?” Tanner asked.
She looked at him like he was crazy. “There’s no way you’re sending Leon in there by himself, especially after what you guys just said about this possibly being a trap. And I know you’re not letting me stay by myself in the car, so I’m coming with you.”
Tanner bit off a curse. “Do you really think it’s safer for you inside there?”
“I refuse to be a liability to you. I know you have an extra weapon. Let’s put all the lessons you’ve given me shooting out at the ranch to good use. I’ll either stay here and defend myself or be right behind you when you go inside the house.”
Leon crossed to the trunk, opened it and tossed an extra Kevlar vest to Tanner. “We’ve got to move.”
Tanner didn’t like it but he was completely out of time and options. He slipped the Kevlar vest over Bree’s head and strapped it tight, then reached for the weapon at his ankle and handed it to her. “Just like we practiced at home. And if anybody comes at you, you don’t hesitate to pull the trigger. In the meantime, you stay right on my ass.”
She actually smiled. “Nowhere I’d rather be.”
They jogged toward the house. “You guys head around back,” Leon told them. “Text me when you’re in place. I’m going togo in hard through the front door. This place isn’t very big, but maybe it has some sort of secret hidey-hole like Elliot’s.”
An alarm went off on Leon’s watch. “That’s it. We’re at zero hour. She’ll be underwater any second now.”
Tanner shook his head. “Then I say we breach the front door. Getting to the victim is more important than catching the perp if she decides to flee.”
The two men nodded at each other and Tanner grabbed Bree’s hand, pulling her right behind him.
“On your ass. I got it.”
At the door, Leon turned to them. “Ready?”
Tanner nodded. “Let’s do this.”
Leon counted it down and kicked the door in. Bree kept one hand at his waist, under his vest so he’d know where she was. Both he and Leon kept their weapons raised, announcing their presence and moving quickly through the small house.
It didn’t take long to realize there was no one here.
“There has to be some sort of secret room like you said.” Leon was already looking around the closet, but nothing about it suggested that there was any sort of extra space.
“Bree,” Tanner said. “Are you sure this is the place?”
“I’m positive this is where she was when she got into the chat room I set up. But there’s no guarantee this is where the fourth victim is.”
“You guys,” Leon called out. “There’s a shed out back. It’s small, but it could possibly be our spot.”
They rushed out the back door to the shed. Tanner immediately pushed against the door but it only moved about a foot before getting stuck.
They all three looked down and saw the blood leaking out from under the door.
