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“Why the hell did I let you talk me into this?” a man’s voice hissed. I recognized it. I was right. Deputy White hadn’t kidnapped me. It was Detective Chase.

“Calm down, Michael. You know this is what we needed to do. She was snooping and trying to get people involved outside of your department. We can’t let her keep doing that. After we take care of her, we’ll find that Beau Winters she hired. The guy is always with her. We’ll get rid of him and make it look like he went off on his own searching for her and died. When she’s not found, it’ll be assumed she died in the storm, too. The lack of a body will be thought to be because the animals ate her and carried off her bones before the spring thaw. She’ll be like countless other cases where people get lost in the mountains and never get found again,” a woman’s voice said back to him. She was very matter-of-fact and unruffled.

“Oh, that’s all! It’s not as simple as you make it out to be, Mona. I wish I’d never listened to you or went along with this business you got us into,” he snapped.

Mona? It had to be his wife. Straining to be sure I didn’t miss anything, I waited to see what else they revealed. By the sound of it, the detective wasn’t happy with his wife.

“You were more than happy to go along with this business when you saw how much money it put in our secret account. It’s not like you’ve had to do hard work. If anyone came around snooping into the cases too much, you redirected them or found ways to keep hidden what really happened to the person,” Mona said dismissively.

“True, and if you’d stuck to people who didn’t have anyone to worry about them, it would’ve stayed that way. It was your idea that we take the younger Mills woman. All because you were terrified she was onto you at Hope’s Dignity,” he snarled.

“We couldn’t risk it. She had to go,” she said.

“All because you thought no one was smart enough to figure out what you do there. That stupid trip to Belarus is what made her suspicious. I told you we shouldn’t go, but you insisted we had to see the boss. Why couldn’t we stick to the usual, which was waiting for him to come here?” Chase muttered.

“I told you why! He hadn’t come for several months and he wanted to see me. When he tells you to do something, you do it. He’s not the kind of man you say no to,” she hissed.

“I should’ve never let you do this in the first place,” he grumbled.

“I didn’t have a choice, nor did you, Michael. Now, stop whining. Why don’t you go downstairs and make sure our other guest is ready? I’ll check on our unconscious one. As soon as Vadzim gets here, we’ll be rid of the annoying Keeley Mills. Then you can eliminate that Beau guy. Everything will go back to the way it was. You’ll see.” Her tone changed to a cajoling one.

He muttered under his breath, and then I heard him stomp away. I moved back away from the door and positioned myself behind it so that when Mona entered, she wouldn’t see me until it was too late. I had to incapacitate her without allowing her to alert her husband. I assumed that whoever the other guest was was willing to be with them, which meant I had two more to take care of.

I leaned my homemade club against the wall. I wouldn’t need it for this next part. After the door handle twisted, the door began to swing open. I tensed and prepared myself. She didn’t open it all the way before she walked in. As she cleared the door, I lashed out, catching her in the throat. That prevented her from calling out. She gasped and choked. Her hands went to her throat automatically.

I punched her in the temple, knocking her unconscious. I caught her before she hit the floor and dragged her body to the bed. Thankfully, she didn’t weigh a ton. After flipping her onto the bed, I hurried to the door to shut and lock it. Then I rushed back to the bed. Working as fast as I could, I secured her arms and legs to the bedposts using the ropes I’d been tied with, but I did it the right way. There was no slack in the ropes when I was finished. I used knots she couldn’t undo. As soon as she was tied down, I created a gag out of a pillowcase and covered her mouth. When she woke up, she wouldn’t be going anywhere.

With Mona out of the way, I retrieved my club and listened at the door again. It was quiet out there. Unlocking it and then easing it open, I peeked out. The hallway was empty. I squeezed out and shut the door behind me, then made my way down the hall toward what appeared to be the head of the stairs. I made it there and looked over the railing.

There were lights on all over the downstairs, but no one was in sight. I heard what sounded like dishes being rattled. I had moved down two steps when I heard a crashing sound and then yelling. My heart sped up. I didn’t recognize the voices other than the detective’s voice. What the fuck should I do?

The answer came to me seconds later when I heard a voice I did recognize. It galvanized me into running down the stairs and shouting a warning.

“Beau, he’s not alone! There’s at least one other person here,” I shouted.

“Keeley! Where are you?” Beau shouted.

“Here,” I cried as I ran toward where his voice was coming from. He came running into the living room, and we met in the middle. I was throwing myself at him when I recalled my weapon, so I dropped it on the floor. It made a loud, thunking sound. I was swept up into his arms. Beau squeezed me tightly, and then he kissed the hell out of me. I didn’t know how long it would’ve lasted if an amused man’s voice hadn’t said something.

“Damn, this is what you get when you go into the mountains to stop a woman from finding her sister by herself? Well, hell, sign me up next time for this assignment.”

I felt Beau’s mouth move up into a smile, and then he reluctantly stopped kissing me. As he raised his head, he glanced at the left of us.

“Heath, I don’t think there’s a woman on this planet who wouldn’t run screaming from you.”

“Hey, that hurt my feelings, man,” Heath said, but he was grinning as he said it. Heath had his gun ready, even though he was joking. His eyes kept scanning the room.

“How did you find me?” I asked.

Beau was about to reply when he was interrupted by Justin’s voice calling for him. “Beau, I think you and Keeley need to get in here.” He sounded cautious.

Heath gave me a chin lift as he passed us. Coming into the room were Aryan and Dickie. They both smiled at me but kept going. The three men were going upstairs. I hadn’t bothered to search any of the other rooms up there since Detective Chase was downstairs. I assumed the other person was, too. That was stupid of me. Bending over, I picked up my club. Beau gave it a bemused look, then took my hand and moved to the area Dickie and Aryan came from.

We found ourselves in the kitchen. A door was open across the room, and based on the light shining out, I assumed it went into another room. Justin was standing there with his gun at the ready. Next to him was Arnie. He came to me. Beau let him hug me. As he did, Arnie whispered, “Be strong.”

Before I could ask what he meant, the doorway to the other room was filled with a man whom I didn’t know. I was about to call out a warning when I noticed he was carrying something. It took a moment or two to sink in that he was carrying my sister. When it did, I screamed and ran to her. I was sobbing as the stranger brought her to a chair at the table and sat her on it. She was bawling. I collapsed on the floor next to her chair. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Kensy.

She appeared thinner and tired. I couldn’t tell if she had any injuries or not. I tried to be gentle as I put my arms around her, but she clung to me tightly. I could barely breathe. She was muttering over and over.

“You found me. I can’t believe you found me. Oh my God, if this is a dream, let me die.”

I eased away so I could look her in the face. “It’s not a dream. We’re really here. You had to know I would never stop looking until I found you.”

Beau’s hand landed on my shoulder. I glanced up and over at him. “Babe, let us clear the house first, and then we’ll talk to your sister. She has to be overwhelmed. Give her a minute.”

“The basement is clear,” Reed said in a shaky voice. I hadn’t seen him enter the room.

That’s when it registered that Detective Chase was slumped on the floor, unconscious, and his wrists and ankles were zip-tied together. That got my brain working.

“His wife is upstairs in the bedroom I was in. She’s knocked out and secure. I didn’t check the other rooms to see if there was anyone else there. I should’ve.”

The sound of soft footsteps made me turn. Moments later, Heath, Aryan, and Dickie walked into the room.

“The only one upstairs is a woman tied to the bed. She’s out. The rest of the place is empty,” Heath said.

I sagged in relief until Kensy gasped and grabbed my arm. Turning to her, I saw fear on her face.

“We have to get out of here before he returns with Vadzim.”

“Who returns?” the man who carried her upstairs asked. He’d gone to the sink and returned with a glass of water. He handed it to her. Her hands shook. She took a couple of drinks before she answered.

“Slava. He left to get Vadzim. We have to leave before they get back. Hurry,” she said. She tried to stand but fell back in the chair.

“You just rest there and let us worry about this, Vadzim and Slava. You’re safe now,” the stranger told her.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Keeley, sorry, this is Ben. You know Heath. You’ve heard me speak of these guys. Kensington, my name is Beau, and these other guys you don’t recognize are Aryan and Justin. We all work for the Dark Patriots. We’ve been helping your sister find you. I gotta admit, coming here to rescue Keeley, we didn’t expect to find you. We have so many questions, but the priority is that we need to know who Vadzim and Slava are.”

Kensy didn’t say anything at first. I was worried she was afraid of them. I went to reassure her, but I discovered I was wrong. They weren’t who she was scared of.

“Vadzim is the one behind this whole operation. He brokers deals with rich and powerful people in his home country and other parts of the world for American women and for those here to get women from other countries. Slava is one of his men. He was the one left here to guard me.”

“I don’t understand why you would be here with a guard. You’ve been gone for three months. You should’ve been sold already,” Beau stated.

She hung her head. She wouldn’t make eye contact as she answered him. Her voice was super soft, so you had to be close to hear her.

“I wasn’t sold like the others because Vadzim took a liking to me. He decided to keep me for himself. He found it funny that the police were looking for me and had no idea I was still nearby. He loved the fact he had his own personal detective to lead everyone astray. I never left Montana. He keeps me here, and when he wants me, he comes to visit.” She shuddered.

To show her she was safe, I inched closer and then hugged her again. “Kensy, honey, we won’t let anyone hurt you ever again. Vadzim and his people will be dealt with. If he’s coming here, we can’t leave. We have to stay and catch them. I’d like to send my sister back to the rental with Dickie, Reed, and Arnie. She’ll be safe with them, and they can find their way back easily.”

“I agree. We stay and deal with those two, this one and his wife. However, I think it’s best if you go with Kensington, too,” Beau stated.

I stood up to face him and shook my head. “I’m not leaving. If you think you need to protect me or that I can’t handle what has to be done, you’re crazy. I told you what I did. I need to be here.”

Beau came over and took my arm. He gently tugged on me to get me to move. I did, though not very willingly. We didn’t leave the room. We just went to a spot further away.

Beau lowered his head and whispered, “I know you can handle yourself. That’s not it. I think after everything she’s gone through, your sister needs you there with her. I promise we’ll make them talk, and they’ll suffer before we end them.”

My resistance melted away when I let what he said sink in. He was right about Kensy. She probably did need me. I couldn’t send her off without me if she needed me. I was turning back to her to ask when she spoke up. I saw she wore a look of fierce determination. Her fists were clenched in her lap, and she shook her head.

“I’m not leaving without you, and I can’t leave until this is finished. I want to see Vadzim suffer. I want anyone who was involved in this horrible, degenerate business to pay. They’ve been destroying lives and playing god. They don’t care who they hurt, treating people like their cattle to be bought, sold, and used however they see fit. I refuse to go with them. So unless you’re willing to knock me out and take me away against my will, which is acting like them, then I’m staying.”

“No one is knocking you out or kidnapping you. But this isn’t going to be a pretty sight. We will get the information we need from them in any way we can, and we will make them pay for what they did in pain and blood. There is no jail afterward for them. They’ll die and die hard,” Ben told her firmly. I was surprised to hear him state that rather than Beau. Ben was staring at my sister intently. He hadn’t moved more than a foot away from her since he gave her the drink of water.

“Good. They deserve nothing less. And this one and his bitch of a wife are guilty, too. He’s a cop. Can you believe that? He helps a bastard like Vadzim carry out his plans right under the noses of other cops and law enforcement. He makes me sick, but the truly evil one is his wife. That bitch needs an extra dose of torture,” Kensy hissed. She was eyeing Chase, who was still bound on the floor. No one was paying attention to him.

“Kensington, you’ve been through enough. Surely, you can see why we want you to leave. It’s to help you start your healing process. Staying here and seeing what we do to them will add to your nightmares,” Beau said.

“That’s where you’re wrong. It’ll help me start to heal. I won’t ever forget what was done to me, but if I’m to find some semblance of life and happiness in the future, I need to know they suffered and are dead. And while I trust my sister to make it happen, I need to see it. Keeley seems to trust you. I don’t know you or your men. So the four I trust, you’re trying to send away with me. Nope. I’m staying, so let’s stop wasting time arguing about it. I won’t change my mind, and we’re wasting precious planning time.”

By the set of her chin, I knew she was adamant. I wouldn’t forcibly remove her. I understood where she was coming from.

“She stays. We can make sure she’s safe. Anyway, she’s the best source of information about what to expect, numbers, things like that,” I told them.

“Babe, are you sure? It’ll get messy and dangerous. I can make no guarantees,” Beau said.

“Wait a minute. Did he just call you babe? What’s up with that?” Kensy asked in surprise.

“There’s been a lot happening in the past three months. I’ll tell you all about the why, but it’ll have to wait. How long will it be until we have more company?” I asked.

Kensy glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. “It’s one thirty in the morning. Slava left two hours ago. He wanted to be sure to be there in time, with the weather being what it was. Vadzim is supposed to land his private jet at Missoula airport at six a.m. They’ll be here soon after if they can get here using his helicopter. If they have to come using snowmobiles, then two hours after that, maybe more. I don’t know exactly where we are. I just know what it has taken him in the past.”

“Let’s assume they can get here with the helo. That means we have roughly five hours,” Justin said.

Before anyone could respond, a groan caught our attention. It came from Chase. I walked away from Beau and went to stand over the disgraced cop. No, wait, he was no longer one in my mind. He was merely Michael Chase. I nudged him in the side with my foot. When he didn’t open his eyes, I kicked him with the sole of my foot. I didn’t have my boots on since they would’ve made too much noise, or I would’ve kicked hard enough to break ribs. But I made sure it hurt. He grunted, flinched, then cracked his eyelids open. He blinked a couple of times before he was focused on me. I smiled down at him. It wasn’t a nice smile.

“Hello, Michael. I guess you know what it feels like to be knocked out and wake up disoriented. Not fun, is it? Don’t bother to try to get loose. There’s nowhere for you or your bitch wife to go,” I informed him. Wanting to hear what he had to say, I jerked the gag from his mouth.

“W-where is she?” he croaked.

“Mona? Or my sister? My sister is sitting right here. We’ll talk about that later. As for Mona, she’s upstairs, unconscious and tied to the bed. I’ve got to say. Whoever tied me didn’t know shit about knots or how to secure someone. It was easy for me to get loose. I was coming to deal with your ass when these guys came bursting in.” I gestured to Beau’s men.

“Beau, I’m going upstairs to check on the sleeping bitch,” Heath said out of the blue. As Beau nodded in agreement, Arnie volunteered to go with Heath.

“Let me know when she’s awake,” Beau told them before they left.

“Get him up in a chair. I have questions, and he’s going to answer them. Before you try lying or delaying, Chase, we know your boss, Vadzim, is on his way here. Kensy already told us that. We have time until they get here. You and your wife are going to entertain us with tales of your exploits with this bunch of traffickers. By the time you’re done talking, I better know every single iota of information you know about them,” Beau continued.

“If you tell us, your death will be before they get here,” Ben added.

“You can’t kill a cop. If you do, the force will never stop looking for you,” Michael spat out. Aryan and Reed had wrestled him off the floor and onto a chair. Chase glared at us. I laughed.

“Do you think a single one of them will care about a lowlife loser like you? No, they won’t. They’ll only care about the stain you bring to their reputation being cleaned away as quickly and quietly as possible. Once the information about what you did leaks out to them and the media, they won’t give a damn about who killed you. They’ll be mad they couldn’t do it themselves,” I taunted.

“She’s right. And, after all, you’re a cop killer now. You killed that deputy,” Dickie said.

“He killed White?” I asked to be sure I understood who he was referring to. Dickie nodded his head. “Christ, you didn’t need to kill him. Why not incapacitate him?” I snarled at Chase.

“I couldn’t risk him waking up or alerting others. I had to be swift and get you out of there as fast as possible,” he answered.

Fury and disgust battled inside of me. I wanted to kill him on the spot, but I had to wait. We’d extract information and then go from there.

“I’d like to suggest we move him and his wife to the basement. They’ll be secure while we extract information. They should have to deal with those surroundings,” Ben snapped. I saw Kensy stiffen, but she didn’t say anything.

“I don’t care where we do this, only that we get started. We have a schedule to keep, and I’m feeling thirsty for vengeance,” I told Beau.

“Then we’ll get to it. You three get him downstairs.” He pointed to Ben, Dickie, and Justin. Then he turned to Aryan. “You go help Heath and Arnie with the woman. Bring her down, too. Then we’ll see what we have to work with.”

With everyone scattering to do as he ordered, he and I went to Kensy. We’d take her down with us. I had to see how she’d lived for the past three months and support her during this process. I’d prefer her to stay upstairs, but I knew it wouldn’t happen. We were our dad’s daughters. We were stubborn like him. We had to see this through.

Chase struggled with them, but it did him no good. They were able to get him up and to the door. When he fought again, Ben punched him in the kidney. Chase cried out, and some of the fight went out of him. They were able to take him down the stairs after that.

“Kensy, we’ll go down as soon as they bring Mona. Are you sure you want to go back there?” Beau asked her kindly.

“I don’t, but I have to. I refuse to miss this. They’re coming,” she said.

We could hear the muffled screams. As the guys entered the kitchen, I saw Mona trying to fight them. It was useless against such men, but she tried. As they passed us, she focused her hate-filled eyes on us. I smiled at her.

As soon as they were down the basement steps, I took Kensy’s hand, and Beau got on the other side of her. We gave her mental support as we began to descend into her hell. I didn’t know how apt a description that was until I saw it. I moaned at the sight.