That was an hour ago, and they still had zero fucking leads…until now.
Chase immediately stopped pacing his living room floor, his attention shooting to the other man standing a few feet away.
“You’re sure it belongs to Taylor?”
“According to this, yeah.” Lucky nodded. “The guy’s foster dad left it to him after he died a few years back. It’s an undeveloped area within the forest near Swamp Creek. There aren’t any houses I can find, but current satellite images show an old shack not far from the creek’s bank.”
“Probably an old fishing shack,” Logan mused.
“That has to be it.” Chase held Lucky’s gaze. “That has to be where he’s taking her!”
“It fits,” Lucky agreed. “CCTV footage showed the van traveling in that direction before it cut off.”
“Then what the hell are we waiting for?” Chase turned and started for the door. “Let’s get our asses on the road and?—”
“Hold up, brother.” Archer didn’t budge from where he stood. “That’s a decent drive to make on a whim. If we’re wrong…”
The former SEAL didn’t finish the thought, but he didn’t have to. If they did this, if they drove to that piece of land, and Scottie wasn’t there…
There’s a damn good chance I’ll lose her forever.
Chase opened his mouth to respond, but Logan’s phone chose that same moment to start ringing. Their former team leader pulled the cell from his back pocket, giving the screen a quick glance before holding it up for all to see.
“It’s Knox,” he announced, referring to the Seattle detective helping them.
“Put it on speaker,” Chase told his friend.
With his phone held out for everyone to hear, Logan spoke to the detective on the team’s behalf.
“This is Hayes,” he answered the call. “You’re on speaker with me and the team.”
“We found the van.” Knox announced, bypassing a formal greeting. “Plates and front-end damage match. It’s definitely the same one that hit your truck.”
Chase’s heart flew into his throat. “Where?”
“Side road, just after a turn between Timber Creek and Swamp Creek. I’m sending Lucky the coordinates now.”
They found it!
“Swamp Creek?” The other man’s words sank in fully. To Lucky, he started to ask, “Didn’t you just say Taylor owned land near?—”
“Swamp Creek.” Lucky’s curt nod confirmed.
“And Scottie?” He marched closer to where Logan was standing. “What about?—”
“She wasn’t there.” The man’s words shattered Chase’s hopes. “The deputy that stumbled onto the scene said the van was empty when he got there. There was no sign of your girl or Taylor.”
Empty?
If no one was in the van, then…where the hell was Scottie?
“What else do you know?” Logan asked before Chase had the chance.
“Not much, since I got the call two minutes before I contacted you. The only other thing Idoknow is that the van was left in the middle of the road. Deputy Collins said it looked like it had been forced to make a sudden stop. Driver’s door and the back doors were left wide open, and the engine was still running.”
The fuck?
“She got away.” Van’s deep voice sounded for the first time in a while. “That’s the only thing that makes sense. Scottie got away, and Taylor ditched the van to go after her.”