“Damn it, CJ! A multi-agency task force is building a case against Sons of Eden. To bring them down. Dismantle their leadership so they can’t just pop up somewhere else, like they’ve done in the past. So we can free their innocent children from a life of harm. That’s lasting change.”
Is he for real? “So you’re saying you’re willing to sacrifice your daughter’s life for this fucking case?”
The rain drowns out the sound of my pounding heart and heaving breaths as we stare at each other.
“We don’t know for sure if she’s there,” he says.
“Bullshit! We know cult members are willing to kidnap the children who try to leave. McKenzie and Gweneth are proof of that, and I would bet there are others. Which means they must have some powerful ways of keeping track of their flock. And you seem pretty convinced they’re responsible for Samantha Bowen’s murder, which means they’re willing to do terrible things to keep their secrets.” For one terrifying instant, I’m back in my driveway, running after my sister, but I shake my head to clear it. Because I’m not that powerless little boy anymore. “It’s not a stretch to imagine exactly what went down here. Especially considering Linnea’s phone went dark at almost theexact spotwe found that weaving. Little Elk Creek is an escape route, or it’s a link in it. Those bastards are already on high alert after our visit and losing McKenzie and Gweneth, then they cross paths with Linnea. They would for sure interpret her presence in only one way: as a threat.”
Another flash of lightning. Rowdy’s eyes are steely, his desperation etched into the hard lines of his jaw. Thunder rolls, closer this time.
“Even if all of that is true…” He holds my gaze. “We can’t go in alone.”
I spin away and start walking. “Then maybe there’s no ‘we’.”I’m done talking about it, that’s for fucking sure.
“And what if you get her killed?” he calls out behind me.
Another flash of lighting illuminates the rainy forest ahead. I don’t need him to remind me of the stakes.
Either I come back with Linnea, or I don’t come back at all.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
My shoulders acheand my forearm muscles burn from the strain, but I keep sawing. I’ve dropped the knife several times and cut myself in my frenzy but not even that can deter me.
Even if I manage to get my hands loose, I won’t be free, but when the men come, I can at least surprise them. I’ll at least be able to fight.
And right now, that’s all I have.
But my knife blade isn’t exactly razor sharp and it’s so small in comparison to the thickness of the scratchy rope, plus my lack of leverage puts me at a major disadvantage. Perching on my knees, I’ve been sawing for what feels like an eternity but I’ve only managed to break one of the strands. How many more until I’m free?
A flash of light flickers through the seam in the cellar door. Moments later, thunder booms. I’ve always loved our mountain storms. Not just for their impressive show of power, but for the calm afterwards, the return to balance. In the wilderness, they’re one of the biggest hazards. One you can’t always prepare for. Getting caught in an electrical storm while exposed high up in the mountains is terrifying. Sometimes all you can do is curl up small and pray until it passes.
But the storm isn’t my enemy now. And no fucking way am I just going to sit here hoping.
The knife slips from my grip and I cry out. Not again!
Despite the chill in this place, sweat trickles into my eyes as I wriggle and contort my body so I can try to find the knife in the darkness. I shift inch by inch, my fingertips snatching at the cold, gritty floor. A whimper rises up my throat. Where is it?
When I brush past the metal bars, panic floods my body. I keep working, shifting, groping in the dark. Where?Where?I turn just as another flash of lightning fills the cracks in the cellar door, giving me a split second of light.
Enough to illuminate my shiny silver blade resting out of reach on the other side of the bars.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Cold rain seepsinto my jacket as I weave past sodden trees and climb over downed logs, using the creek like a handrail to guide me up the basin. Icy meltwater has long since soaked through my boots and jeans, which are molded to my thighs like a second skin. Not that I’d let those minor annoyances slow me down.
I can’t think too hard about parting ways with Rowdy. Not when Linnea could be in danger and there’s not a single moment to waste in finding her.
That day I dispatched that injured doe on the side of the highway, I remember the way Linnea stood tall, her lip quivering.I’m tough.
Long before then, I knew that was true. And brave.
I just need you to hold on a little longer, baby. I’m going to find you.
Lightning flashes from the west, disorienting me. Shouldn’t the valley be narrowing by now? Have I somehow gone too far?
The thunder comes quicker this time, and louder, the vibration humming in my cheekbones.