Page 39 of Single Teddy (Mayberry Protectors #6)

THIRTY-THREE

TEDDY

E very second spent driving was as excruciating as chewing glass, worrying about Wesley, about the kids, about what I’d do with myself if anything happened to them.

One would think my job would have prepared me for moments like these, but it wasn’t the same.

This was different. When you’re a SEAL, you prepare for everything.

You rely on intel. On meticulous planning.

On advanced technology that can see through walls, so that when you do go on a rescue mission, you’ve got next to no chance of failure.

But this? This was the real world without the billions of investment in technology, weaponry, and human-powered support, and without any assurances. Hell, we didn’t even know where Wesley had been taken. How could we rescue him if we didn’t know where to go?

“God! How much farther is this godforsaken bar!” I yelled behind the wheel, and Slade cast a glance at me.

“Breathe, Teddy. Just breathe. We’re not going to let anything happen to them.”

“You don’t know that!” I shouted, and he flinched.

Great. Now I was snapping at my friend. It was hard to keep my emotions in check when I just needed to find Wesley. I needed to find him and save him and make sure he was okay. I wouldn’t calm down until he was back in my arms.

“I’m sorry,” I said after a moment.

Slade shook his head and put his hands in the air.

“You don’t need to apologize. I’ve been where you are. I get it. I—” He never got to finish his sentence because a car swerved onto the main road, and I had to hit the brakes before we crashed.

“The fuck? What’s wrong with people?” Slade muttered, but I stared at the car speeding ahead.

“That-that’s Zach’s car.” As soon as I recognized the electric blue Smart car, I put my foot to the gas pedal and followed him. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it. Can you try calling him?” I handed Slade my phone and started honking at him, but he didn’t slow down.

“Nothing,” Slade declared, but he tried again. “Didn’t you just leave him behind at the food truck?”

“I did.”

“Then why is he in such a rush?”

“I’m telling you. Something’s wrong,” I repeated, and when the coast was clear, I joined the oncoming lane and sped up until I was side to side with him and able to get his attention.

It took a couple of tries, but he slowed down when he saw me, and I overtook him to avoid the honking car coming right at me.

I screeched to a stop and caught my breath for a moment before I jumped out of the car and approached Zach’s. Even before I got to him, I could tell he was distressed. He looked at me through the windshield, but he wasn’t really looking at me. It was as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Zach, what the hell? What happened? Why are you driving like a madman?” I opened his door and crouched to his level.

He turned to me with wide eyes full of terror, shaking like a leaf.

“It…it’s him. It’s him,” he said.

“Him who? What are you talking about?” I grabbed him by the shoulders and squeezed, shaking him back to his senses slightly.

He froze, staring at me, but at least he wasn’t shaking anymore.

“My…it’s my ex. I saw him. He…he’s here.”

I narrowed my gaze and waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t, so I had to read between the lines and assume his ex was bad news. That was the only explanation for such erratic behavior.

I glanced around, but I didn’t see anyone suspicious.

“He’s here?” I asked.

“On…on the island,” he said.

“But not here here?” I pointed to the ground, and Zach shook his head.

I relaxed a little and took his hand.

I didn’t know what the story was, and I didn’t have time to find out. Not when Wesley was in literal danger of dying.

“Where are you going? What are you doing?”

“I…I don’t know,” he stuttered.

“Okay, Zach. Listen. I really, really want to find out what’s going on and be there for you, but Wesley has been abducted, and I need to find him before it’s too late. Are you okay on your own or do you need me to call someone?”

“No.” He shook his head and blinked as if finally coming to his senses. “I’ll be okay. Is Wesley—what happened?”

“No time. Go home, Zach. Go home and lock yourself up, and when all this is over, I’ll come to you and we can…figure this out. Okay?”

“O-okay,” he said. “I’m…I’m sorry for freaking you out.”

He looked around. We had started to get some curious looks from passersby. A driver glared down at us as he overtook us, which was justified. We had stopped in the middle of the road.

“I’m okay now. I think.”

I knew that was far from the truth, but he did look a tiny bit more with it than before, so I had to trust in him and let him go, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

“Slow down and be careful,” I said and got back to my feet.

I gave him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder and closed his door, then walked back to my car, but not without looking back to see him drive away.

God. I kept leaving people I cared about behind today. First Bear, now Zach. But I cared about Wesley too. I loved him. And I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do everything in my power to save him.

“Everything okay?” Slade asked.

“I don’t know, but I guess so for now.” I started the car and set off for The Outpost, where Wyatt and the rest of the team were waiting for us.

As I parked on the side of the building, Slade hummed something incomprehensible, and I turned to him. His eyes were narrowed, and his brows were knotted in confusion.

“What’s up?” I asked.

He was holding two phones in his hands, but only one was unlocked and lit up. He didn’t say anything. Not until I nudged him.

“I think I know where Wesley and the kids are,” he said.

“What? Where? How?” I asked, and he put the phone in my hands.

I looked down at the white messaging screen and read the text in blue.

Barnes:

All set. We’re in position.

Underneath that was another blue message, this one with a location pin.

It pointed to a place on the east coast of the island.

“Who did he message?” I asked. “Do we know?”

Slade shook his head, and I huffed.

“You think they know we’re watching?”

“I don’t know what to think anymore. But this…this is weirdly suspicious. I’ve been tracking comms for months now, and there’s been nothing. Then all of a sudden…this.”

“Maybe he slipped.”

“Or maybe it’s a trap,” Slade suggested.

“Well, then,” I said and opened my door. “It’s time to get to work and find out.”