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But only one.
There’s no sign of Alec or Barbi, which is something no one voices out loud. Not that we need to.
We’ll sort that out later.
“On the ground.” Brady barks orders at the men. “Hands behind your head.”
Scott barely moves, but it’s enough. His fingers twitch moments before he makes a fatal mistake. The man lunges for his gun. I shoot first and my bullet hits him in the center of his chest.
Scott’s eyes widen in surprise, but then he’s dead before he drops.
Dean Alder makes the same mistake. Rafe shoots him in the shoulder; a nonlethal shot. With Scott dead, we need the dean alive.
The dean screams as the gunshot echoes through the room. With Scott eliminated and the dean contained, I move deeper into the building, weapon raised and ready to fire if I have to.
But there’s only one person left.
Hayes follows on my heels.
Behind us, Brady orders Dean Alder face down on the ground. I don’t envy him the pain he’s about to endure once Brady and Booker truss him up and neutralize any threat he poses.
I move quickly toward the bedroom where Kaye’s being held, taking point, weapon raised and ready. My heart races as I approach the door, but I keep my breathing level and narrow my focus to the job at hand.
Hayes and I exchange a look, communicating our intent without the need for words. I jiggle the doorknob, but it’s locked. I take a step back while Hayes moves into position.
I give him three fingers and count down silently. Hayes kicks down the door.
The room is dark, but Kaye’s there, lying on the bed, huddled against the bedframe, eyes wide with fear, but very much alive. When she sees me, her fear fades and overwhelming relief follows.
“Kaye.” I rush to her side.
She reaches for me and her eyes fill with tears. Disgusting leather wraps around her throat, her waist, and nasty D-rings anchor the chains that bind her.
“It’s okay. You’re safe.” I pull her into my arms while Hayes works to free her from the chains.
Once she’s loose, I scoop her into my arms and carry her out of the room.
“It’s over, luv.” The moment she’s in my arms, she trembles and cries uncontrollably. Her entire body shakes.
There’s nothing to do about the mess in the living room. Moving as fast as I can, I try to spare her the trauma from having to see Scott’s body. Fortunately, she clings to me so tight, tucking her head against my chest, that I make it outside before she can see the mess I made of Scott’s chest.
“Any sign of Alec? Barbi?” CJ’s tone is gruff, irritated.
He already knows the answer to that. But I get it. We’re missing a man and another woman’s still at risk. This shit show is far from over. For Kaye, however, the entire nightmare is over.
“We’re looking now.” Booker marches a wounded Dean Alder outside while Brady, Rafe, and Hayes search for any sign of our missing Bravo team member and Kaye’s best friend.
Thethwomp, thwomp, thwompof a helicopter’s rotors cut through the air. I cradle Kaye close to my chest as I carry her out to the helicopter.
I keep murmuringI’ve got you. I’ve got you,but the rotor blades drown out my voice. I help Kaye into the helicopter, then hop in beside her. After securing her belt, I strap myself in for the ride back to our staging area. Hayes and Rafe join me, while Brady and Booker stay behind to wait for the FBI task force and turn over custody of the dean to their team.
As the helicopter lifts off, I steal one last glance at the cabin. We still have to find Alec and Barbi, but at least Kaye’s out of there.
Lights in the distance wind down the dirt road leading to the cabin. It’s the FBI task force coming to search the area for evidence and take over from here.
I’d like to say I can only imagine the horrors she’s lived through, but the truth is I’ve seen far too many victims in my line of work.
She’ll need to work through what happened, and navigate the treacherous waters of recovery until she finds a new kind of normal. Until then, phantoms of this trauma will linger. Left alone for a moment, we find ourselves in a bubble of relative quiet.
