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At his stony expression, she punched out the words with enough force to mistype them, but he got the gist. “She’s a child. She’s all that matters. Either we go together, or I follow and call the cops to come with me.”
His gaze went cold. But she wasn’t one of his employees, like Maryshka, or the Fallen Angels he used to lead with his brother and father. He took a step closer to her, but she matched him. Neil and Lawrence’s attention sharpened, attuned to the near combustible emotions suppressed within him.
But so was she. She didn’t back down.
“It’s not all that matters.” He spoke softly, surprising her. His eyes reflected harsh emotions. “Once we reach that park access, you don’t get out of the truck. Not for goddamn anything. You keep it locked and the engine running if you have to bolt. You have a gun you know how to use?
At her nod, he spoke shortly. “You bring it. The people who took her make Rock and Warthog look like pissant schoolyard bullies. Got it?”
Neil and Lawrence’s expressions said they were on the same page as Tiger. “You’ll do a hell of a lot more for us, working your tech magic in the truck,” Lawrence said. “And he’s right. If the bad guys show up, haul ass. We’ll be in a far better position to handle them if you’re not in the mix.”
She wasn’t an idiot. This was a world they knew far better than she did. But she would stay as close to Tiger as circumstances allowed.
“We’re trained for combat and tracking in uncertain terrain,” Neil said to Tiger. “You’re not. Once we get there, your job will be coordinating with Skye and getting to wherever Aubrey is. Keep your focus on that.”
He tilted his head toward Lawrence. “Ours will be to take care of anything standing between you and that goal. Delegation of duties. Best way to get the job done. And we’re good at our job.”
“What will you do if she’s not alone?” Tiger asked. “These assholes aren’t the type to give up and let you zip tie them.”
“We’ll put down anyone executing lethal force,” Lawrence responded. “But we’ll use other options if we can.”
He directed that to Skye. Probably because he could see as well as she could that Tiger had no problems with killing anyone associated with Aubrey’s kidnapping and letting the bayou have the bodies. And if they were too late…
While Lawrence was talking to Tiger, discussing other logistics, she made a subtle motion to Neil. As he put his arm around her, a gesture that looked as if he was offering her reassurance, she showed him what she’d typed, muting audio.
“If you find her body, do not let him out of your sight. Knock him unconscious if needed.”
She didn’t know exactly what Tiger would do, but she would suffer his wrath if it saved him from being sent to prison with his brother or worse, being killed in a firefight with a rival gang. He’d worked most of his life to leave this behind. She wouldn’t stand by and let the anguish of losing his niece throw him back into that abyss.
Neil understood. “Roger that,” he said.
The drive took almost an hour, though it seemed much longer, every minute crawling by. Skye kept her attention on the tracker. She’d put the phone on the truck’s dashboard mount so Tiger could keep his eye on it, too.
It still didn’t move.
They could have her tied up somewhere, she told herself. Guarding her. She held onto that thought, even though her mind told her that scenario would have made more sense in a building, a defensible place to get out of the weather.
As they drove, she went through the tracker’s history on her tablet to confirm Aubrey had been taken at the common area. They’d carried her through it to a vehicle waiting on another street. Once she’d been driven to the bayou, the tracker seemed to loop around, stop, move slow, then stop again. Then it had moved again, once more, before it came to its current resting place. All along waterways, as if they’d had her in a boat. Or were on foot, traveling along the banks.
Aubrey could have done that same track if she was lost. She was six, but she’d seemed smart enough to stick by a waterway that could keep her from moving in circles. Until she got tired and found a place to sit down. Maybe fall asleep.
Or someone had followed that same pattern to locate an optimal place for a shallow grave, or to weigh a body down and leave it in the water.
Fuck, those thoughts weren’t doing her any good. Skye put the tracker app on Tiger’s phone and sent it to Lawrence and Neil’s as well. They had different carriers, so that might help with keeping at least one of them connected with the signal. She turned her attention to making some adjustments to the two drones she’d brought.
The second one was a backup. She would be sending the drone into a swamp with a lot of canopy cover. Even with collision avoidance, a variety of things could knock one out of commission. She was damn good with it, though, so she’d do what she could to keep it flying.
Just as Neil had warned, they drove into the storm. When the light shower pattering the windshield started to strengthenand pelt the glass, she heard Tiger mutter a fierce oath. He’d increased his speed. He was a more than competent driver, and he was aware of what was at stake, so she wasn’t worried he’d risk a wreck on the wet roads. She kept her attention on what she was doing, but she reached out and touched his thigh, gripping it briefly. He glanced at her, his expression grim, but he gave her a nod.
When they pulled into the park, the two SEALs pulled in behind them and emerged from Neil’s truck. They were in foul weather gear, night goggles strapped to their heads. Lawrence had given Tiger the same gear, along with a short lesson on how to use the goggles.
Before Tiger exited the truck to join them, he turned to face her. “Get on the driver’s side after I get out. Be ready to leave, like we said.” Reaching over to the glove box where she’d put her Walther nine-millimeter, he pulled it out, putting it on the console. “You keep this close,” he told her.
She touched his face. “Be careful,” she mouthed.
“Okay.” He brushed a knuckle over her cheek and gave her a grim smile she thought he had to dig deep to find, but he had, for her. Even in this situation, he hadn’t forgotten she was going through it with him.
“Whatever happens…thanks for putting that tracker on her. We’ll have a chat about why you didn’t tell me later. But for now…thanks.”
