AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not one of my better ideas,” Nox said. “But we should put a pin in the vacation conversation until later.”
“Thank you.” Nelson offered Nox one of his stiff, solemn bows, then squinted at the pasture.
Nox followed his gaze and noticed flashes of frosted silver spirals in the knee-high weeds. “What is that?”
The muscle in Nelson’s jaw twitched as he unbuttoned his coat and reached for his holster. “Concertina wire. Heavy-duty steel wire covered in thousands upon thousands of tiny razor blades. The whole property’s surrounded by it.”
“This is what Elsa was running away from,” Nox said shakily as he saw her running toward them in the dark. She was cold, scared, sick, and her hands, forearms, and legs were covered in dirty, bloody gashes as she stumbled and struggled through the mist and weeds.
“Nox.” Nelson grabbed Nox’s shoulder and turned him. “Look at me.” He waited until their eyes locked. Nox sensed Nelson’s panic and focused.
“Okay. I’m listening.”
Nelson whispered a silent prayer, then tightened his grip on Nox’s arm. “Stay. Here.”
“You can’t go over there!” Nox whispered loudly, sensing Nelson’s plan.
“I have to.”
Nox shook his head. “Give me one good reason.”
“I’ll give you six,” Nelson replied.
“Dear gods, those girls might be in there,” Nox mouthed in shock and jumped when Nelson passed him his pistol. “No, no, no, no, no.” Nox stared at the weapon resting on his palms, then tried to pass it back.
Nelson’s hands closed around his, cradling them loosely as he adjusted the gun in Nox’s grip so he was holding it right. “I freaked out because you took a bath so leaving you here is probably going to feel like a heart attack. Do me a favor and don’t move until I come back.”
“Out of the question,” Nox stated as he held up the gun, hunting for the safety and the trigger. He didn’t want to get them mixed up in the heat of the moment. “You can’t go in there without me.”
“Listen.” Nelson’s hand pressed against Nox’s chest over the eye in the center, stunning him. A roiling wave of dread, panic, rage, and hope burst within Nox, overwhelming him and making him dizzy. His legs shook and he fell back against a tree, hanging onto Nelson’s arm. “Can you feel it?” He whispered, searching Nox’s face.
He could feel what Nelson was feeling and it was terrible. “Yes! I’m so sorry!”
“Then please don’t make this worse.” Nelson gave Nox a pleading look. “There’s a good chance they’ve booby-trapped this place with explosives and there could be dogs.”
“Explosives?” Nox shrieked as the awful chaos within him swelled with Nelson’s fear.
“Shh! I need every scrap of focus I can muster so I can get in and out of there alive, Nox, while I cope with all of…this.” Nelson let go, gesturing at himself and the loud storm within Nox ceased immediately. “I think I can do that if you’ll stay here where I know you’re safe.”
“Okay. I won’t move,” Nox vowed. “Not until you tell me to.”
A relieved sigh brushed Nox’s cheek as Nelson kissed it. “Thank you. I won’t be long. The sun will be coming up soon.” He checked his watch. “I want you to call Bixby if I’m not back in fifteen minutes or you haven’t heard from me. Tell him where we are and to send a SWAT team.”
“Fifteen minutes.” Nox noted the time on Nelson’s watch. “But you won’t be gone that long.”
“Let’s hope not. And if you see anyone that isn’t me or a young woman with long red hair, start shooting,” Nelson advised.
“Are you being serious?” Nox asked in a hushed whisper.
Nelson dropped to a knee to retrieve the pistol from his ankle holster and rose. “I can buy Boyle forgetting that the MacCrorys had that thing painted on their barn when they first found Elsa. I’m sure everyone in town knows to stay clear of this place and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been decades since Boyle had a reason to be up here. But I’ll bet my badge that symbol on Elsa’s chest haunted him and he remembered seeing something like that somewhere around here. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he came out here because he had an inkling or because of those boots and saw that barn.”
“That’s why he doesn’t want us looking at the MacCrorys,” Nox said with a disgusted sneer.
“We can’t trust him or the rest of the sheriff’s department so we’re on our own. Keep that pointed at the ground and away from you and don’t aim it at anyone unless you intend to shoot them,” Nelson said in a flat, rapid rush, then gave Nox another peck on the cheek before darting through the trees and using them for cover as he skirted the pasture.
Nox followed Nelson’s dark gray suit through the forest until he disappeared in the predawn darkness. The morning was eerily silent and minutes stretched into eternities as Nox searched for any sign of Nelson. Then, he saw a shadow by the barn and held his breath when one of the doors eased open. Nox swallowed a gasp when a small light glowed for just a second, flaring between the barn’s wooden slats before going out.
He checked the time on his watch and it had only been five minutes since Nelson had left. A dark shape moved between two truck carcasses and dashed around the back of the doublewide, setting Nox’s nerves on edge again as he waited for another sign of Nelson.
