Page 15 of Brave Horizons (Barrington Billionaires #19)

ALEX

He watched as the storm began to pass, the wind dying down to a whisper compared to the howling gale that had threatened to tear everything apart.

The rain slowed to a steady drizzle, and the dark clouds began to break apart, letting in glimpses of the setting sun.

He turned to the others who’d been sitting in mostly silence. “Time to move.”

Everyone got back into the truck, the tension still palpable.

Alex felt the weight of their anxiety pressing down on him as he drove to the house.

He wasn’t sure he’d made the right choice.

That was how these things worked. Staying in the house was dangerous but so was leaving.

The silence was heavy, punctuated only by the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance.

They pulled up to the house, and Alex's heart sank at the sight.

A large tree limb had fallen over the porch, blocking the front door.

The house had taken a beating, the roof looking precarious and another tree having fallen dangerously close to the side of the house.

He turned to the others, his voice calm but firm. “Stay put while I check things out.”

Hillary, clearly impatient, shot him a glare. “We don’t have time for this. I need to contact the security team and hope they’ll be here soon.”

Ignoring her, Alex stepped out of the truck and approached the house cautiously. He scanned the area, taking in the damage and ensuring there were no immediate threats. As he rounded the corner, he noticed the back door was ajar. His instincts kicked in, and he pulled his weapon.

He moved silently toward the door, every sense on high alert. Had the other security team arrived or was this something else? There was a chance the storm had blown the back door open.

The air was thick with the scent of rain and earth, and the only sound was the soft patter of water dripping from the trees. He pushed the door open with his foot, the hinges creaking loudly in the quiet.

Inside, the house was dark and still. Alex’s eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light, and he scanned the room, weapon raised.

The living room was empty, but it was clear someone had been here.

Drawers were pulled open. Furniture flipped over.

The place was ransacked and he couldn’t be sure the culprits weren’t still here.

It couldn’t be coincidence. This was a low crime area. A break-in during that storm wouldn’t be likely. The butcher knife plunged into the kitchen table gave it away. The house had been compromised.

Another snap decision was in order and he was sick at the idea of choosing wrong.

He could clear the house and if someone was still inside take them down.

Or if they’d been watching the house and had seen his truck pull back in they could already be about to kill everyone still in the truck.

He was most likely outgunned and outnumbered.

There was only one option. Drive. Leave the area and try to figure out the rest from there.

Alex backed out of the house quickly, keeping his gun raised. He charged back to the front of the house where, thankfully, everyone was still sitting in the truck.

“We need to go now,” he blurted out as he got back in and immediately threw the car in gear.

“What’s going on?” Topeka asked, her voice laced with panic.

“The house was compromised. Someone’s been there. We can’t stay.”

“What do you mean someone?” Hillary asked. “Maybe it was the security team. Service is back on my phone; I’ll try to reach someone.”

“It wasn’t them.” The truck kicked up gravel as Alex peeled out. His eyes were fixed on everything around them. Any cars. Any sudden movements and he knew they might be in serious trouble.

“How do you know?” Russ pressed, his voice demanding.

“The knife sticking out of the dining room table was a good indication,” Alex explained. “The house had been tossed. They were looking for any evidence of where we were going next. ”

Hillary’s eyes widened, and she immediately started punching numbers on her phone.

“I’ll try to reach the security team again.

We need to find a new rendezvous point. I don’t think I left anything in the house that would have been of value to them.

” She looked horrified that she might be wrong.

“We left so quickly. I grabbed everything. I’m sure of it. ”

Alex drove away from the house, his mind racing. They needed a safe place to regroup, and fast. The rain had picked up again, and visibility was low, but he pushed on, determined to put as much distance between them and the compromised house as possible.

“Where are we going?” Russ asked from the back seat, his voice tense.

“No phones,” Alex barked, pointing to Hillary who was trying to reach the security team. “We have no idea who’s been compromised or how they found that house. Shut your phone down or toss it out the window.”

“I don’t know where we are supposed to meet next,” Hillary said frantically. “If I shut my phone down, I can’t reach the security people.”

“They might have been the ones to give the location of the house or your number to be tracked.” Alex wasn’t asking again. If she didn’t shut her phone down, he’d toss it out the window.

“They wouldn’t do that,” Hillary said, shaking her head. She might not think he was right, but she did as he said and shut her phone down.

“There are always ways to get people to give up information. People at Kinross know that. It’s why they keep it all in silos. You don’t know where the next meet-up spot is for a reason. It’s all ‘need to know’. And now, the wrong people know important information.”

“Well, where are you going?” Hillary asked, the quiver in her voice growing.

“Somewhere they can’t track us,” Alex replied. “We need to find a place to lie low until we can get in touch with the security team and figure out our next move. I’ve got a satellite phone I can reach Kenan on. But we have to get out of this area first.”

“You know where we’re going?” Topeka asked, her voice a low whisper. “Back to the campsite?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “We can’t go back the way we came. We have no idea where these people are. We’ll stay off the main roads and I’ll find something.”

“What about back at the warehouse?” Russ suggested. “At lease we know it’s abandoned. Out of the way.”

“They might have been tracking Hillary’s phone if they crossed paths with the security team and something bad happened. We need to head east and try to keep moving.”

Hillary covered her face with her hand. “We’re moving away from the border contact. I’m sure of it. The farther we go the less of an option that becomes.”

“It’s not an option anymore,” Alex said firmly. “Any former plan can’t be followed now. If they found the house, they might very well know every move we were about to make. We’re on our own now. ”

Hillary was flustered. “This is far off-script. It’s not supposed to be this way.”

“I know,” Alex said, looking at her in the rearview mirror.

“The moment I can get us out of the area we’ll use the satellite phone.

It’s going to be our only secure line to use.

I need everyone to have their head on a swivel.

Watch for any cars that look like they’re following us or anything that seems suspicious. ”

He understood without a trained eye they were unlikely to be able to offer much in the way of insight. But they needed to feel like they had a job. Some sort of control. Everyone staying calm was the only way they’d get out of this.

This . . .

He wasn’t sure what this was anymore. It was so far off the rails now.

Out of control. Days ago he was only going to be a stopping off point for someone who needed it.

Now there were three people in his charge.

No back-up. No plan. Gripping the steering wheel tightly he wound his way down the back roads of a residential area.

The digital compass on his dash showed east. That was the best he could do now.

Head away from the danger and figure the rest out as he goes.