Page 39

Thirty-Nine

Roman

M y head was still pounding as I trekked through the thick forest, trying not to lose sight of the tire tracks on the dirt road.

I took a few seconds to decide which way to go once I had come to the fork but didn’t have the luxury of taking any longer than that.

Thankfully the rain was slowing down, but I knew I had to hurry before they washed away and I was left with nothing.

I had limited cell service as I walked and was thankful that I had been able to get a text message out to Trevor. I wanted to track Quinn’s Apple watch, but that would have cost more time while I waited for the signal to be strong enough to find it, and I simply didn’t have time to spare.

It irritated me that I didn’t know which vehicle Quinn was in compared to which one had Rosie, but I went with my instincts and chose the bigger tracks.

Maybe it was because I knew that they would be easier to track and less likely to fade right away with the weather.

Or maybe it was simply that I assumed Rosie was in this vehicle.

I knew that Quinn had a better chance of protecting herself and that she would fight like hell to get to her daughter.

Rosie, on the other hand, was only five years old and needed all of the help she could get.

I pushed harder every time I felt like slowing down and resting.

I had no idea how long I’d been walking, but I did know that there wasn’t time to stop now.

I looked around for any sign of a building or house but didn’t see anything.

It didn’t matter. I would walk a thousand miles with bloody feet and no food to get to her. Nothing was going to stop me now.

Suddenly the rain started pouring with a vengeance while thunder clapped off in the distance. Apparently, this wasn’t going to be as easy as I had hoped. Not that any of it was easy—but I didn’t really need any additional complications at this point.

I stopped for a second, took a deep breath, and reminded myself that I had survived worse. I had served in the Marines. I was used to hiding in the shadows and taking the lives of those who least expected it. There wasn’t anything that I couldn’t do.

Memories of years of stakeouts played through my mind as I continued walking, images I had long since tried to erase from my mind.

I reminded myself that I wasn’t that person anymore.

I was different now. I wasn’t a heartless killing machine like I thought I was when I first returned from my last tour.

And while I wasn’t proud of what I had done, I knew that I would do all of it again in a heartbeat because I had helped rid the world of some of the worst scum it had ever seen.

Even though I wasn’t in combat and taking orders, I knew that I was doing the world another favor by eliminating whoever had taken Rosie. There were plenty of sick perverts that would continue to lurk in the shadows and prey on innocent children, but I would be damned if they touched her.

I stopped and ducked behind a large, overgrown tree when I spotted an abandoned-looking cabin in the distance.

Parked out front was an older, beat-up truck that had seen better days.

Fresh mud was splashed up on the doors, so I knew it was the tracks I had been following.

That was helpful, given that the rain was really coming down hard now and already starting to erase them.

Keeping myself hidden behind the tree, I scanned the area and took note of how many entrances there were into the building. I was relieved that I hadn’t spotted any other vehicles, but there was a detached garage off to the side, which meant there could be more occupants inside.

The paint was peeling on the front door and the windows were boarded up, making it impossible to see inside. I chewed the inside of my cheek in frustration, knowing that I needed to have a calculated plan before I entered. Rosie’s safety depended on it.

I looked around, making sure no one was guarding the perimeter, then inched my way closer to the house while staying in the shadows.

If I couldn’t see in the house, then hopefully, I would be able to hide outside and listen to what was happening inside.

I quickly circled around the cabin with my 9mm drawn and aimed in front of me as I made sure no one was out here with me.

Once it was clear, I found a spot beside one of the side windows and squatted beside it.

The blood rushed through my ears, making it hard to make out the faint voices from inside.

I knew it would take a few minutes for my pulse to return to normal, but I didn’t have that much time to wait.

I stood up and leaned closer, resting my ear against the brittle wood, and prayed that it was firmly secured so I didn’t risk exposing myself.

“How long has she been out?” a man’s voice asked.

“Who knows,” someone muttered, sounding further away and less interested.

“The order is to deal with her.”

“So then do it.”

“Have you checked the account? Has the money been posted?” It was hard to tell how many different voices I was hearing, but this one sounded the same as the first man who spoke, the baritone in his voice recognizable compared to the other voice.

“Not yet,” another voice answered. Instinctively I pulled away when it sounded like they were on the other side of the wall from me.

“Then she lives until we get paid,” the first man stated.

“But that’s not the order.”

“I don’t give a fuck what the order is. They hired us to do a job, and I’m not doing it until we have that money. There’s too much at stake to be fucking around with these lunatics. Get an update on when they’re transferring the funds. Until then—she stays alive.”