Page 104 of Rescued Dreams

I’m here.He wasn’t going to let anything happen to his sisters if there was something he could do about it. But where was that Nicholas guy?

They were going to have a reckoning.

He glanced back at Kane, who said, “Copy that.” Then he looked over and yelled, “Maria found something!”

Ridge waved him off.

He continued left while Kane ran right, going after Maria. Ridge scanned the exterior of the building, looking for a drain and a window that might have been missed. Like a tiny bathroom with frosted glass but big enough for him to crawl through. He had his multitool, so he could break glass. Risky, given the noise and how likely it was he’d be injured. But did that matter?

His family was inside this house, trapped with a guy who was prepared to do anything.

Revenge against Amelia.

But why involve the twins? Unless he wanted Ridge to suffer as well.

Olivia had probably been caught up in it, another victim. She might even be dead.

Ridge raced along the west side of the mansion and peered around the back. On the far side, he spotted car headlights, and maybe Kane and Maria, talking to someone else. He didn’t know what was going on over there. It was too dark and too far to see.

Whatever it was, he needed to get inside and get to the twins.

And he knew exactly how he was going to do it—that second-floor balcony. Not the wide doors that led out to the back view. The window beside those.

If he sat on the concrete rail that protected someone on the balcony from falling, he could reach over and smash that window.

Ridge tugged on the drain that ran down the back wall, close enough he could get to the balcony. It didn’t budge, so he started to climb.

When he was high enough to reach for the balcony, he saw that the door was slightly ajar. Abandoning the idea of smashing a window and crawling in, Ridge climbed over the edge. He stayed out of sight, behind the wall, and then peered around.

No one in the room. It looked dark though, so he couldn’t see much but bare floor and shadows. Using his phone flashlight would reveal his presence immediately. But he wasn’t going to go in without Kane knowing, so he went to the edge of the balcony and whistled quietly.

A long tone that got Kane’s attention. Ridge waved from his position, and when Kane saw him, Ridge motioned to the door.I’m going inside.He wasn’t going to stay out here and wait when lives were at stake.

He eased the door open enough to slip through, listening for someone hiding in the shadows. The door put up a fight. Enough that he frowned at how heavy it was. The door wanted to snap back and hit him.

He made sure the rock stayed where it was, wedging the door open so Kane could follow him.

Nothing jumped out at him as he crept through the room, hands outstretched. Feeling for a door in front of him. His fingers hit the rail of wainscoting around the wall, and he traced it until he found the open exit into the hallway.

His boots echoed on the floor, so he switched up how he was walking. Trying to channel a little of Kane’s stealth skills.

When the floor disappeared out from under his next step, he caught himself. Stairs.

Ridge stuck to the wall and made his way down. The staircase angled to the left and then opened up. He could feel the expanse of the room around him.

Like a huge entryway.

He heard an anxious intake of breath that didn’t belong to him, and he couldn’t pinpoint where it came from.

Halfway down to the ground floor, he started to see a glow from the side room where the twins were—a yellow strip across the floor, under the closed door.

Maybe it was his anxious breath.

The lights flipped on, blinding him for a second. Ridge froze, then looked around. Amelia stood at the edge of the balcony, which stretched around in a semicircle that overlooked the chandelier and the lobby below. The two staircases followed the wall down, and he headed down the left side.

On the outside of the rail, Amelia had somehow managed to stay put with her feet wedged back between the bars. She had fear in her eyes and a cloth over her mouth. About to fall to her death.

No…about to be hanged.