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“I agree,” I said. “Use the drone to trip the floodlight on the front corner of the cabin. Jeremy might assume it’s an animal once or twice but multiple times would get him to come out and investigate.”
“But what if he gets Alex and uses him as a shield?” Alyssa asked.
“I’d agree if Alex wasn’t bound to a chair,” Abe replied. “That’s a lot of tape to cut through. Sure, he’s got the knife, but when they got back inside, he’d have to resecure him. Alex has already proven he’s a fighter, so he might be willing to go through the hassle once but not more than that.”
“So we get Jeremy outside, then what?” Russ asked.
“I’ll trip the security light with the drone to draw him out,” Abe said. “One of you tosses a pebble or something at the metal trash cans at the side of the house. Jeremy will ease around to check it out. While he does, the other two come around from the opposite corner ready to disarm and restrain Jeremy. Whoever throws the rock will come out of the shadows and run inside to release Alex. I’ll land the drone as soon as the action starts to provide backup for whoever needs it.”
“I’ll create the diversion,” Alyssa said. “Lio and Russ can ambush him when he comes around the corner.”
Russ and I bumped fists.
“Let’s do this,” Abe said.
We silently crept back toward the cabin. Abe stopped at his launch site, and the four of us exchanged hugs before Russ and I went left and Alyssa went right. My heart pounded so hard I was sure Jeremy would be able to hear it inside the cabin, but we reached the corner of the structure without incident. The drone crept through the night, sounding like nothing more than a giant insect. The front corner lights turned on, flooding the front yard with light. I caught myself holding my breath, thinking even that was too much but forced myself to exhale softly through my nose.
Time seemed to crawl as we waited for Jeremy to move or the light to shut off when no further motion was detected. The front yard went dark again, and I caught the soft buzzing of the drone a minute later. Once again, the lawn lit up like the Fourth of July. It was probably my imagination, but something arced through me, an awareness that said this time would be different. I forced myself to stay calm and limber as I listened.Please let this work. Please let this work.The front door swung open and crashed against the cabin wall.Thank you!
The distinct sound of a rock clinking against metal rang in the air.Nice job, Lyss.If a kidnapper didn’t know better, they might think it was raccoons going for dinner instead of furious parents lurking outside. A moment later, feet crunched on gravel. The sound grew softer as Jeremy moved toward where he’d heard the noise. I glanced around the corner, then motioned for Russ to come with me. We slipped along the front of the house as quietly as possible.
Jeremy mumbled something as the crunching gravel got louder. Fuck! He was already coming back, and we weren’t in position yet. I nearly jumped out of my skin when another rock hit the trash can with a loudbang. Alyssa must’ve positioned herself so she could keep an eye on Jeremy as Russ and I approached. Her distraction worked because Jeremy reversed course, muttering as he went. Seconds later, loudtwangs echoed through the night as Jeremy repeatedly hit or kicked the trash cans. The noise masked our movements and allowed us to haul ass. I hoped Abe had captured Jeremy’s outburst on the video feed, though I knew he’d be careful not to give us away.
Jeremy finally stopped bashing the trash cans and headed back our way. My body started to tense, but that would slow me down. I exhaled a soft breath and visualized how I wanted the scene to play out. Then I brought the butt of my rifle up to the height of his face. When he rounded the corner, I bashed it against his nose with a sickeningcrunch.
Jeremy immediately dropped his rifle, brought both hands up to cover his gushing nose, and yelled, “Fuck!” Between the wet nose and the muffled sound, Jeremy sounded more like a Muppet than a kidnapper. His brown eyes registered surprise until they locked on me and widened in alarm. And that’s when I moved in for the kill, lowering my shoulder and taking him to the ground. I straddled Jeremy and started pounding him with my fists, punching him anywhere his hands weren’t blocking.
I didn’t notice Alyssa sprinting past me to get to Alex, but I heard her yell, “Don’t let things go too far, Russ.”
“You son of a bitch,” I snarled. “I’m going to kill you.” Because right then, I wasn’t a police chief who’d sworn to uphold the law; I was a father who’d survived the scariest night of his life.
Abe was the one who finally pulled me off Jeremy while Russ moved in with a pair of handcuffs. He rolled Jeremy to his stomach and secured his hands before removing the knife strapped to Jeremy’s thigh. Russ patted him down but didn’t find any additional weapons.
“It’s over,” Abe said, holding me in his arms as I panted through my adrenaline rush. My fists were bloody and sore, but none of that mattered. Abe kissed me hard and quick. “It’s over. Let’s go see our boy.”
“Go,” Russ said as he removed his cell phone. “I’m going to call this in.”
Abe and I ran inside the house and headed to the bedroom where Alyssa was sawing through the duct tape binding Alex’s torso to the chair. She’d already freed his arms, and he rubbed the angry welts on his wrists. I turned to go back outside to kick Jeremy’s ass some more, but Abe stopped me.
“He’s going to get what he has coming to him. You’re needed right here.”
I turned to Alex and saw the tears streaking down his face. I dropped to my knees, pulled out a pocketknife, and started hacking at the tape around his calves. We had him free and in our arms quickly.
“I tried to fight him off,” Alex sobbed.
“We know, baby,” Alyssa said. “You’re so brave.”
“We’re so proud of you,” I added.
“Your dad beat the shit out of the guy,” Abe said, “and I captured most of it with the drone before I worried he might kill him.”
I cupped Alex’s face. “It would’ve been worth it to have you home safe.” I gently brushed my fingers over the small goose egg on his forehead. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Alex said. “I knew you’d save me. I have the most badass parents and stepdads.”
The sound of police sirens reached our huddle, and we pulled away.
“Time to face the music,” I said, though I didn’t have a single regret. I swung by the bathroom long enough to wash Jeremy’s blood off my hands, then the four of us went outside to wait for the cavalry. I smiled as Russ and my son embraced affectionately.
