Page 52 of Peripheral Vision (Tethered in Darkness Duet #1)

“Lights are off,” Nathan mutters, his eyes locked on the factory from our position in the brush.

We’ve been sitting out here for about an hour now, looking for signs of movement.

So far, the only thing we’ve seen is the same ten guards making their rounds.

If they have this many on the outside… we are going to be sorely outnumbered .

“From what we can see…” Which isn’t much because there aren’t many windows.

Nathan nods, his hand twitching near the concealed holster on his hip.

We both know what this could turn into if things go south.

“If things go south, we don’t hesitate. We get her and get out.

If you have to leave me behind… do it.” I can tell he wants to argue with me, but her safety is the only thing that matters to me, so I pin him with a glare.

I know that I can’t live without her, but she’s proving she can live without me, even if I don’t want her to.

We watch another guard rotation go by in silence.

Two on the east side, one posted near what looks like a loading dock, three on the west side near the main entrance, and four patrolling the fence line. The setup doesn’t sit right with me.

The guards are too predictable, their routes too tidy.

I would expect more guards to be at the loading dock considering we know what kind of cargo is brought in there.

Either they aren’t expecting anyone, or they want us to think that.

I don’t think this is a set up, but they’re also not stupid.

Nathan shifts beside me, breaking my train of thought.

“We can’t wait all night, Fletcher. What’s the move? ”

“We’ll take the west side; cut the fence where it’s weakest near the tree line. Get inside quiet and fast.” My voice is steady, besides the self-doubt forming from that statement.

“And if it’s not quiet?” Nathan asks, his hand already resting on his hip.

“Then we improvise.” And hope like hell nobody else gets hurt. I really don’t have anything else for him. We’re both out of our element here because they know who we are. They would never buy our covers, even if we did try to use them.

“Alright, lead the way.” We move swiftly, sticking to the shadows.

The crisp night air cuts into my lungs, sharp and cold, but it helps keep me grounded.

Every sound we make seems amplified and I swear I can hear screams somewhere in the distance—it’s awful to say, but I hope they’re anybody but Dylan’s.

My mind is racing with contingency plans, though none feel good enough.

They likely aren’t. We’d have to run from the factory back to the car and that is at least a mile if we managed a straight shot…

plus Dylan being exhausted, however many people we’d have to fight our way through…

possibly bringing other victims out with us.

Where would they go when that happens? There are too many unknowns, and I don’t like it.

When we notified our bosses of what we were doing, they said we were going in on our own unless we wanted to wait, which was obviously not an option, but they weren’t going to stop us, either.

If we’re lucky we will get in and out without a fight.

But luck hasn’t really been on my side in a while.

When we reach the fence, Nathan crouches, pulling out the bolt cutters from his pack.

His hands work quickly, but silently, cutting through the links with precision as thoroughly as he would the human body.

I keep watch, scanning the tree line and the factory for any further signs of movement.

The guards continue their rotation, oblivious—for now.

That was going to have to change momentarily for those at the front gate, though, in order for us to get in undetected.

I look at Nathan, nodding at him. “You ready?” He gives me one swift nod and I let out a low whistle, the sound barely cutting through the night air, but it’s enough.

From the door, the guards go on alert, spreading out in opposite directions.

Nathan finishes the last cut, slipping the severed section of fence aside with care.

Just in time for the first guard to get up close and personal.

He moves quickly, his flashlight beam slicing through the darkness, but he doesn’t see me step out of the shadows and through the cut line in the fence until it’s too late.

My blade flashes in the faint moonlight, a gurgled choke is all the sound he manages before I ease him to the ground, his radio crackling faintly at his hip.

Nathan follows me through the gap, his movements catlike.

We drag the body behind the nearest bush before moving on to the other two, which we dispatch with perfect synchrony.

I wipe my blade clean on the guard’s uniform before tucking it away.

“We better get in there. They’re hidden well enough but I’m sure they do routine radio checks and will be wondering when they don’t hear from these gents. ”

The steel door is just ahead, but the closer we get, the more voices we can make out on the other side.

Victims? Guards? Buyers? We don’t know, and we won’t until we get in there.

I glance at Nathan, understanding an unspoken command between us.

My grip goes to my own holster and for a brief second I think of Dylan—of her smile, her laugh, and of all the resolve I still have yet to break down in her.

I can only hope that she still strives to fight me in the way I know we both love once I get her out of here.

Because she will get out of here. Nathan signals and we move silently, our footsteps muffled against the cold ground.

He eases the door open, just wide enough for us to slip through.

The room is dim, the shadows hiding us as we move.

There are two guards that stand near a table, their backs to us, weapons holstered.

That answers that question; they weren’t prepared. Perfect.

In the corner near them, four women and two children huddle, bound and trembling.

My stomach twists as I search for Dylan, but none of them are her.

Nathan holds his finger to his mouth telling them to be quiet as they spot us, and he moves first, dropping one of the guards with a muffled choke, leaving me the perfect opportunity to surprise the other.

I step forward, pressing my gun to his temple.

“Don’t,” I whisper as he reaches for his own gun.

“Dylan. Where is she?” He may not know who I’m referring to, but with how this whole operation has gone down, I have a feeling he does.

His mouth opens but no words come out. So that’s how they wanna play it?