Page 166 of Peaks and Promises

Me: Can you see what’s inside?

Reese: Tractor. Pile of old lumber and shelves with random shit. A car. Need to move so I can get a better look.

Me: Could Nate be hiding in there?

Reese: Maybe. I found Lego in the house. He’s been here.

Hope swept through me. He’d been in the house. The question was, had they fled already? Or were they hiding somewhere on Sam’s property?

Voices carried from inside the pole barn, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. A moment later, Reese texted me a grainy photo of an Idaho license plate.

Reese: In the pole barn. I bet it’s the stolen car.

Me: Which means either they’re here or they left in a different vehicle.

Reese: I’m alerting Garrett.

That was something. If Axel and Nate were on the run in a vehicle registered to Sam Fogel, law enforcement could get the license plate and hopefully find them.

But something told me they hadn’t gone anywhere. Nate was nearby. I could feel it.

Me: I think they’re still here.

Reese: Me too.

Me: What’s our next move?

Reese: Check the other outbuildings. Wait for me.

A rooster walked toward me, its head bobbing with each step, and let out a loud crow.

I put my finger to my lips. “Shh.”

It crowed again and kept approaching.

With my back to the building, I moved to the corner and peeked around. The rooster crowed again…and charged.

Great. Half a dozen bikers weren’t bad enough? I needed an angry rooster chasing me, too?

I couldn’t stay where I was and let a freaking rooster attack me, so I darted away from the pole barn toward the truck. That didn’t make the bird any happier. It followed, crowing at me again.

Taking cover behind the truck, I looked for another place to hide. There was a tree, but it was even smaller than the first. That wouldn’t help. My best bet was the wood building. But it would mean crossing a fair distance in the open.

The rooster made the choice for me. It charged again, crowing aggressively. I’d heard somewhere they could be mean—protective instincts and all that—but this one was relentless.

Hurrying toward the outbuilding, I had to hope no one saw me. The rooster seemed to be doing everything it could to give me away. It crowed loudly, but I didn’t look back.

I reached the building and took cover on the back side. Apparently, the rooster decided I was no longer a threat. It stopped about halfway between me and the truck. With one last crow, it turned and bobbed the way it had come.

The building was smaller than the pole barn, made of wood rather than metal siding. Cobwebs clung to the eaves, and the peeling paint was faded. Circling around, I checked a window, but the glass was dirty and inside was dark. I couldn’t see anything.

Leaning around the corner, I looked out. The front faced the main part of the property, and all it would take was one glance for Mayhem to see me if I tried the door. They still milled around the front of the pole barn while Sam watched from a slight distance with his bony arms crossed.

Something glinted on the ground. An open padlock. It was impossible to tell how long it had been there. Had Sam simply dropped it the last time he’d entered the building? Or had it been opened so Nate and Axel could get inside?

Was my son right on the other side of the wall?

I hesitated. I had to assume Axel was armed. I was not. I wouldn’t do Nate any good if I got myself killed.