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“How do you know?”
“They stopped talking. Now, let’s see if they do as they are supposed to do.”
About ten minutes passed and it didn’t seem like they would stop. Either it was a long, empty road they were on, or they had no intention of stopping. Finally, the vehicle pulled off the road and seemed to be driving into a driveway or parking lot. Finley knew they could have stopped on the side of the road, but she had hoped they all needed to pee as well. It would draw less attention if they weren’t all urinating on the side of the road.
Finley got into position as they heard the front door of the truck opened. It went off without a hitch. Good boy, Storm, for allowing Darcy to take him with her. It helped that his interest was piqued by the different environment. The side door wasn’t closed and she could hear the conversation between the two guys standing close. It had to be late afternoon. By the light, she’d guess five p.m. and her stomach rumbled along with her newly discovered need to pee.
Another man approached loudly as though he were running and flatfooted. He spoke a few words before Finley heard, “Motherfucker.”
Then the van door closed, and she heard running footsteps in the direction that the other had come from. Finley sent up a prayer for protection and quickly pulled out her cell phone. She tried to call with no luck, so she texted.
“Track these coordinates. Storm may be safe at these premises. Get here and follow the phone to me.”
There seemed to be a huge ruckus, and when Finley tried to open the van’s side door, it didn’t open. As she was trying to coax the door to release, she heard shouts and one set of sneaker’d feet running back to the van. Then the front driver door openedand slammed shut. No one joined him. He pulled out of the drive like a crazy man with a lunatic after him.
Thank God Storm is safe. Finley couldn’t believe anything else. She pulled out her phone again, but there was no reception. Back in the boonies again. With Storm safe, Finley could concentrate on finding a way out of this mess. The first thing was to open the door or break through the window. She started looking for some good window-breaking objects.
“Come on, guys. I need you now more than I ever have.”
Chapter 9
Callie gently shook Levi. He’d been asleep for three hours and she didn’t want to wake him but she had promised him earlier in the day so when he didn’t rouse enough to open his eyes, Monroe spoke up.
“He’s moving around in his sleep, so he good. The two of them agreed he wasn’t well enough to go on the rescue, so Cash will go. Let’s leave him.”
Callie stood over her teammate for a few more seconds before nodding. “Okay, but I want it noted I did try, because he’s going to be pissed that we let him sleep through.”
Cash walked over. “Let him be pissed at me. Leave him sleeping. It will help his healing, and that is the most important thing, since we have adequate help to bring Finley and Storm home safely.”
The three of them left Levi on the lounge sofa, sound asleep. Monroe placed the pain killers on the little table next to him so he had relief when he did wake up. Turning, he joined the others.
Ryker came out of Jac’s home office. “Okay, I have some things that need to be reviewed but so far as I can see, there are no present employees unaccounted for or that have been here at the house except all of us and the extra coverage occasionally. Also, criminal records have cleared as well as recent firings or disgruntled employees. How far back go you want me to go, Jac?”
“Since we got things off the ground. I know it’s a while, but this isn’t random, it’s targeted and whoever it is has to have beenhere at some point to know where I fucking live. They’ve been playing cat and mouse, whoever he, she or they are, for a while and they even knew when our big cases were done due to the timing of the messages. Has to be close. Damn close.”
“I’ll keep digging, going backwards from where I stopped. Leave the ladies with me and Kaden.”
“Good. We have some decent coordinates, and we’re on our way to grab Storm and Finley.”
Sharlee looked at her husband and grimaced. “It’s still patchy, but I’m trying to piggyback a satellite signal. I have a current message. Wait. The SOS signal from Storm’s backpack is sending a beacon signal. I’ve locked on to the signal burst. It seems to be stationary.” Sharlee began to run her fingers over the keys fast as lightning.
“Send it to our phones,” Jac instructed. Cash could feel his own heart pounding in his chest as hope surged through him. Jac’s anticipation had to be more. “Let’s move, people! Kaden with me. Cash with Garrett. We’re bringing them home!”
“Finley is still a moving target right now, Jac. The backpack is stationary. I can direct you, but you need to find them using your own instincts. You will need to go in two different directions. It will take me a few minutes to pack up my gear.”
“Charlotte, you will be more help here.”
“I won’t. Anything I can do here, I can do on-site. I need to be there, Jac. I promise I won’t leave the vehicle, but I have to be there when you find my baby.”
Jac stared at his wife and the nonverbal communication they had was understood by the whole room. He nodded agreement. “Okay, Kaden, you stay with the women and be home communication. I’ll leave four guys with you and Levi.”
From the sofa, a groggy Levi responded. “Not happening Jac. I was there when this went down. I have to be part of the recovery.”
Garrett spoke up. “Stand down Jac. I’m the lead and you need to be the dad right now.” The Colonel spoke up. “The man has a point. And I agree that so long as Levi good to go, he can come with me,” the Colonel looked over at Monroe, Mallory and Oakley, and received a nod of assurance. “I can take the helicopter in and land within sight and sound if possible. I’ll take Levi with me to be my second. If needed, I can transport injuries.”
Garrett nodded in the Colonel’s direction. “Right. So Charlotte and Jac are with Carter. Carter, you drive.” Jac nodded. “I agree with that.”
Garrett laughed. “You don’t know how to stand down, do you?”
