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Where was Wahlburg?
Questions bombarded her, nausea climbing to her throat as the men dragged her and Cord through the door. He was limp, bleeding badly, unconscious.
Fight, Cord, dammit, stay alive. We have to save that little girl. I have to save you.
In the hall, the concrete floor was hard and rough. Cord groaned.
Seconds later, a door opened and she was hauled inside. Radcliff forced her into a chair and tied her arms behind her, her wrenched one throbbing so badly the world began to fade. No, she had to stay conscious. “Cord…”
No answer. Panic seized her. Then they dragged Cord away down the hall.
Lights blinked, nearly blinding her. Suddenly, Radcliff swung her chair around to face a sea of screens. Ellie gasped in horror as she realized what she was looking at.
Different rooms, all in shadows. Each one holding a prisoner—one of the missing girls.
Odessa Muldane was in another. Her blood-soaked body hung from the ceiling. Lips painted in that ghoulish smile with blood. It was too late for her.
But the others were still alive: Sarah Turner. Beverly Hooper. Janie Huggins. And Lorna Bea.
Dear God. They were planning a killing party.
ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE
SOMEWHERE ON THE AT
Tree branches swayed in the wind. Dried leaves and twigs tumbled across the road. The scent of impending rain mingled with the cloying humidity.
Derrick called Ellie’s number three more times as he flew around the switchbacks. No answer. With each call, his fear intensified.
Dammit, Ellie.She should have waited on him. What was happening?
A knot seized his chest. They’d dealt with twisted killers before but this time there was more than one. She couldn’t possibly fend off an army of psychos.
McClain is there, he reminded himself.She’s not completely alone.And she was a fighter. Resilient. And well-trained.
She was also a woman he cared about.
Deputy Landrum studied the GPS for exact directions and the shortest route. Using his hands-free system, Derrick phoned Cord, but his phone went straight to voicemail. Frantic, he pressed the sheriff’s number.
It rang four times before Waters picked up. “Sheriff, it’s Agent Fox. Ellie’s in trouble.”
“What the hell now?” Waters growled.
“We think our suspects are meeting tonight at the old Widow Peak Hospital. Ellie called to report that Wahlburg was there, but the phone got cut off.”
Waters grunted. “Knowing her, she charged in.”
Exactly what he was thinking. “McClain’s with her, although he doesn’t have a firearm,” Derrick said. When this was over, they’d find a way to rectify that issue.
“He usually carries a hunting knife,” Waters said. “Maybe that’ll help.”
“Maybe.” The ranger would be a fighter, especially if it meant protecting Ellie. They seemed to have some kind of special bond that went way back. Sometimes he wondered if there was more…
“On my way,” Waters said, cutting off his thought. “I’ll bring back-up.”
As he disconnected, Landrum pointed out a side road that had them climbing the mountain. A lightning bolt struck in the gray sky. The college faded to a blur as they left it in the distance. A sign announcing the reunion flew past.
Derrick’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel. It was a reunion all right. A reunion of killers.
