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Timber added calmly, “Be aware that Andy is heading out there too. He’s hoping to stop his son from hurting Tiffany before we get there. However, he also realizes he’s likely to get killed by his son. Yet Andy’s hoping to save his son’s life, but I told him that would not likely be the outcome.”

The men nodded, and, with that, they all split up and moved out.

Timber turned to Dwight and Toby and asked, “You guys want to let me in on the plan?”

“Yeah, if you ever quit jawing and get your ass in gear.”

He gave a bark of laughter and followed Dwight and Toby out.

“There’s one spot,” Dwight shared, as they set the pace. “We had drones out today looking at the land.”

“When did we get drones?” Timber asked.

“That’s not the point. One of the guys brought drones back with him and thought maybe it would be something you could use in terms of keeping an eye on things.”

“And?”

“So, we decided to check out what you might be working on next,” he explained, “and we found one spot. It’s got a creek alongside what looks to be a lean-to cabin. As soon as we saw that, I knew that’s where Max was.”

“How far away?”

“Probably about twenty minutes out,” he estimated.

“The men will take up positions all around. A couple of them will block the main paved road to confirm nobody is coming or going. Badger has been contacted, and he’s rousting up some assistance too.

He’s contacted the military and a few other people, trying to pull some additional resources together for you. ”

“Yeah, but by the time he gets all that, we’ll have a real shit show on our hands.”

“Chances are it’ll be all over with by then.” Dwight gave Timber a cold smile.

Toby laughed. “And you know I won’t back down on this one.”

“I don’t want you to die, as you have one a hell of a needy puppy at home,” Timber reminded him.

Toby laughed. “Yeah, well, that might be the case.” Then he frowned and added, “If I don’t make it, confirm Little Toby will be fine,” he stated calmly. Dwight snorted and walked away.

“I will, but you damn-well better make it back because, if not, I’ll cross over myself just to kick your sorry ass back home where you belong.”

Toby snorted at that. “I’ve got a big ass, buddy, so consider what you’re taking on.”

“I’ve got a good idea,” Timber muttered, then frowned as he realized Dwright had disappeared from sight. “As for Dwight…”

Toby looked over at him and smiled. “He’s gone ahead to the cabin.… He used to be a tracker, so don’t you worry about him none.”

Timber swore at that. Dwight had every reason to kill Max on sight. Max had killed Dwight’s pregnant wife, the psycho who killed Dwight’s family. Max tried to kill Dwight, but he survived. Max got away, probably perfectly willing to kill other people’s families too.

“Everybody here will do what we can do to make this come out in a good way,” Toby declared, “so don’t you worry about that either.”

“I’m not worried about that, but I don’t want Dwight hurt. And I understand he’s already got a history with Max, so Dwight has it in for this guy.”

“I know that very well, and there wouldn’t be any stopping Dwight, so I figured it was best to just let him be.”

“Jesus. Dwight and Andy will both get themselves killed.”

“We can’t let that happen,” Toby stated. “We need Andy alive long enough to buy some land off him.”

Timber barked out a laugh, appreciating the gallows humor to relieve the tension. “Isn’t that the truth. I can’t believe any of this has gone the way I thought it would just a couple weeks ago.”

“Life never does. It absolutely never does,” Toby noted, with a frown, “and that’s okay too because right now we’ve got other things to worry about.

At the top of the list is making sure you get Tiffany back.

There are very few people out there I would go to bat for at this point in my life,” Toby admitted, “but she’s good people.

Besides, you’ll need a veterinarian for this place. ”

Timber snorted at that. “You’re telling me that’s the only reason we’re going to save Tiffany?”

“Nope,” he snapped. “Mostly I just want to get my hands on Max. Dwight and I have been friends for an awful long time. If I can take down the one serial killer who ruined Dwight’s life, then I’m game.”

Timber looked over at Toby, worried doubly so now, but Toby was stoic and riding solid, calm, and quiet. “You know you could be riding to your death.”

“Yep.… Been there, done that a time or two, just like you.” He snorted. “Nothing’s killed me so far, and I’m not heading into death in a lighthearted way either,” he declared. “However, you and I both know Max has to be stopped.”

“I do know,” Timber muttered. “I was just hoping that we wouldn’t have Andy around to see his son die.”

“Nobody should have to see their son gunned down, no matter how deranged that son may be,” Toby stated, “but this son of his might just up and take his own life too. If he doesn’t do it himself, he’ll go with death-by-cop.

I figure Max is not strong enough to off himself.

Yet he might be pretty damn sick of everything he started and is just looking for an easy way out. ”

“I won’t say I wouldn’t welcome that,” Timber admitted, “because it sure as hell is looking to be a bad deal right now.”

“It is. It’s a bad deal all around, and we’ve got to get Tiffany out of there. She doesn’t deserve to have any of this thrown on her.”

“I know it,” Timber spat. “I’m just hoping we can finally finish this right now.”

“You and me both.”

As they moved cautiously forward, Timber got a jolt as his phone buzzed in his back pocket. He’d turned off the ringer. As he answered it, he heard Dwight’s voice.

“He’s got her where we thought he would be,” he began, his voice calm and quiet. “He’s heavily armed, and he’s already on the lookout. You’re about two miles to the west.”

Immediately Toby nodded, having overheard.

“Keep going strong. You should be coming up soon,” Dwight said. “I would give you maybe fifteen minutes. I say, ride for about ten, then take the last ten on foot. He’s a mean son of a bitch, and I don’t think anything left in him is good right now.”

“How is he acting?” Timber asked.

“He’s shooting at anything he sees that’s alive and moving, and that’s from a grouse to a songbird. So, any animal will go down first.”

“Good enough,” Timber noted. “We’ll send the horses back on their own.”

“Hopefully they won’t need to be pushed in that direction,” Dwight replied, “because otherwise we’ll need someone to move them along.”

“I don’t know,” Timber muttered. “Sparky and I have been together for a very long time, so he won’t take kindly if I try to send him home alone.”

“But he needs to be sent home. Otherwise you’ll need that vet in a big way.”

“We’ll need her in a big way anyway,” he stated, “I just didn’t realize how much.”

“Yeah, you had your eyes working a little too hard on everything else.”

“Yeah? What else was I supposed to do?”

“Not much. I think you were well on your way to including her in everything you wanted her in,” he stated calmly.

“And that’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.

We’ve just got to keep focused, to stand strong, and to confirm this asshole is contained,” he spelled out.

“This time he goes down, and he stays down.” With that, Dwight disconnected.

Timber looked over at Toby, who was moving ahead ever-so-slowly. They stayed in formation for a little bit longer. Then Toby slid off his horse and moved over, so Timber could come up to his side. He quickly dismounted and looked over at Hilton, Toby’s horse, and told him to go home.

Hilton had hopefully been at Haven long enough to understand what home meant. But he didn’t want to leave, and when Toby gave him a slap on the back, the horse just turned and looked at him.

“Dang,” Toby whispered, “I don’t see a whole lot of obedience in that.”

“No, what you’re seeing is loyalty,” Timber muttered, as he pointed to Sparky, who hadn’t budged either.

“We need them to move, and we need that now because they are a dead giveaway and will get us or themselves killed.” Timber turned and smacked his horse hard across the rump.

Immediately Sparky jumped up and moved out, heading back the way they’d come.

Hilton followed him gingerly. Toby and Timber both watched them go, their hearts heavy, silently urging the horses to go faster and faster.

“They are on their way,” Toby whispered. “Let them move out. If you keep looking back at them like that, they’ll both return to us.”

“Yeah, I know,” Timber muttered, “damn it.”

“It’s all good.”

“Says you.”

Toby gave an almost silent laugh, then tapped Timber on his shoulders and began speaking to him in sign language—a method developed over many years in the military. They were going forward just a few feet and then turning.

Timber nodded, following quietly. He remembered this area from some of his earlier scouting trips around this land.

He recognized the creek, and all of a sudden he knew just where they were, just how far away they were, and just what he needed to do.

And, with that, his whole awareness of the scenario shifted.

It had been a little slow in coming, and he felt a deserved fury at his own rustiness, but he was here now, in the full sense of it.

As he came up beside his partner, he tapped Toby on the shoulder and stepped in front of him, moving ahead, cautious but steady, letting him know in no uncertain terms that Timber was taking the front position.

As he turned around once to check on his progress, he noted that Toby had already moved out, slipping away into his own search of the surroundings.