Problem at the hospital. Your father took a turn. Doctors need you now. Come immediately. Do not tell anyone.
My blood turns to ice. The message does not say who it’s from, but the fear crashes over me anyway. Dad. The secure facility Silas moved him to. Something went wrong. I picture him alone, struggling, the security detail maybe overwhelmed. I can’t sit here drinking coffee while he needs me.
I stand too fast. The chair scrapes loud. “I need some air.”
Harper looks up, concern in her eyes. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just… restless.” I force a smile that feels fake. “Be right back.”
I slip out the side door before anyone can follow. My car sits where I left it, keys still in the ignition because I never thought I would need them again. The compound is quiet now. The men are gone. The women are inside with the kids. No one watches the gate. I climb in, start the engine, and roll through the open gate before guilt can stop me. Silas told me to stay. But Dad needs me. I have to check.
The mountain road twists down fast. I grip the wheel tight and push the car faster than I should. Trees blur past. My phone sits in the cup holder, silent now. I keep glancing at it, willinganother message to come. Nothing. The fear claws higher with every mile. What if the men down the mountain already know I left? What if this is a trap?
A black truck appears in my rearview. It hangs back at first, then closes the gap. My stomach flips. I press the gas harder. The road narrows, switchbacks coming quick. The truck matches my speed. Its headlights stay bright even though the sun is up. I take a sharp left. It follows. Too close now. My hands sweat on the wheel.
I try to call Silas. The call drops before it rings. No signal. I curse under my breath and focus on the road. Another curve. The truck surges forward. Metal scrapes metal as it rams my rear bumper. My car fishtails. I fight the wheel, tires screeching on gravel. The truck rams again, harder. My head snaps forward. Pain blooms in my neck.
The road drops away on my right. I see the edge too late. The truck hits me a third time, shoving me sideways. My car slides off the shoulder. Dirt and rocks spray. I scream as the world tilts. Trees rush at me. Metal crunches. The airbag explodes in my face. Everything goes white for a second.
I blink hard, dazed. The car rests at an angle in a ditch, nose buried in brush. Steam hisses from the hood. I taste blood where I bit my tongue. My door yanks open before I can reach for the handle. Rough hands grab my arms. I fight, kicking and swinging. A man with a scar leans in. His breath smells like cigarettes.
“Nice try, girl,” he growls. “Boss said you would come running for daddy.”
I claw at his face. He slaps my hands away and hauls me out. My knees buckle on the uneven ground. Another man waits by the black truck, engine still running. They zip-tie my wrists behind my back fast. I twist and shout Silas’s name even though I know he can’t hear. The scarred man clamps a hand over my mouth. Something sharp pricks my neck. Cold spreads through my veins.
My vision blurs at the edges. I fight it, but my legs give out. They drag me toward their truck. My last clear thought is of Silas down the mountain, fighting for me, and Dad somewhere waiting. Then darkness swallows everything. The engine roars as they drive me away, and I slip under, helpless, wondering if I will ever see the mountain again.
CHAPTER 14
Silas
The trucks roll up to the logging road cabin in a tight line. Dust hangs thick in the air from our tires. I kill the engine first and step out, rifle slung low across my chest. The place looks quiet. Too quiet. Windows dark. No smoke from the chimney. No vehicles in the dirt lot except an old rusted Jeep that hasn’t moved in years.
I signal the men to fan out. Boyd takes the left flank with Wyatt. Chase and Rhett circle right. Rafe stays at my shoulder. Harlan covers the rear. We move in slow, boots soft on pine needles. My pulse thuds steady but loud in my ears. This is where the plate traced. This is where the bastards who came looking for Hannah are supposed to be.
I reach the porch first. Door stands ajar. I nudge it open with the muzzle of my rifle. Inside smells like stale coffee and cigarette smoke. Empty beer cans litter the table. A half-eaten pizza box sits open. But no men. No gear. No sign anyone’s been here in the last hour.
“Clear,” Boyd calls from the back room.
“Clear,” Rhett echoes from the kitchen.
I lower my rifle and curse under my breath. “They’re gone. Someone tipped them or they got spooked.”
Rafe steps inside and scans the room. “Looks like they packed fast. Left the trash but took everything else.”
My phone vibrates in my vest pocket. Harper’s name flashes on the screen. I answer fast. “Harper, what’s up?”
Her voice comes tight. “Silas, Hannah’s gone. She said she needed air, slipped out the side door. We didn’t notice right away. Her car’s missing from the lot. Gates were open. She must’ve driven down.”
The words hit like a punch to the gut. My grip tightens on the phone until the plastic creaks. “When?”
“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes ago. We’re searching the compound now but she’s not here.”
I close my eyes for half a second. Rage and fear boil up together, hot and choking. I swore to protect her. I told her to stay put. She’s out there alone because I left her behind. “Lock everything down. No one in or out. Have Eli, stay with the women and kids. We’re coming back.”
I hang up and turn to the men. They’ve heard enough from my side of the call. Faces go hard. Boyd already has his phone out, checking traffic cams we tapped into last night.
“Hannah left the compound,” I say, voice low and controlled even though I feel like I’m coming apart. “She’s in her car. Heading down the mountain. We need to find her now.”