Page 71 of Mountain Hero

Fury and fear are hitting me in alternating waves. My thoughts are on a frenzied repeat.

Someone has Winter. Someone is hurting her. I need to get to her. Now.

I’m halfway to my car when a burst of rationality pulls me to a stop.

If this were an op, I’d never go into it alone.

Shit. Even though my instincts are shouting at me to go, to drive as fast as possible to Winter’s location and take down this piece of shit one-handedly, the trained operator in me knows it's a very bad idea.

There’s no way of knowing the situation I’m going into. Is it just one person or several? What weapons are involved? Are there incendiary devices? Traps? How badly will Winter be hurt when I get there? She didn’t appear to be badly injured in the photo, but forty minutes from now…

Fuck.

I need a team. And in an unexpected stroke of good fortune, in Bliss, I found one.

As I start jogging toward my car again, I open my contacts and hit Alec’s name.

Before he can get out a greeting, I grit out, “Someone took Winter. I don’t know who. She’s near Greensboro. I have to get there in an hour. No police or they’ll kill her.”

There’s a moment of silence, and then he replies calmly, “Okay. I’ll meet you at the gas station just north of Morrisville. Knox lives on the way, so I’ll call him. He can drive while I do some recon online. Where was she last?”

Flinging myself in the car, I yank the door shut behind me as I answer, “At her house. Packing things to—” My voice catches. Shit. Forcing the emotion down, I continue, “She has cameras there. At the front and back doors.”

“I’ll check them. Do you have her current location?”

“Yes.” As I forward him the pin, I add, “I need Ronan. And Gage. If Winter’s hurt…”

What I can’t bring myself to say is if Winter is badly injured by the time I get there, my basic first aid skills might not be enough. But Ronan was his team’s medic, and has a much better chance of keeping Winter stable while we get her to the nearest hospital.

And with Gage piloting one of his drones, he can gain intel without us having to expose ourselves. If we can scout the location before entering, it will give us a much better chance of taking down the tango—or tangos—successfully.

Shit.

There can’t be a chance. This rescue needs to be an absolute certainty.

“Gage isn’t too far from the pin,” Alec replies. “He can meet us south of Greensboro with plenty of time to spare. And Ronan…” He pauses. “He’ll make sure he gets there in time.”

I’ve never felt this shaken before. This afraid. My heart is sledgehammering, each beat a loud echo in my head.

But I don’t have room for fear. I don’t have time.

So I take a deep breath. And another. I force down the choking fear. Take the white-hot rage and channel it into fierce determination.

I will not fail Winter. Not now. Not ever.

As I peel out of the driveway, tires screeching, I tell Alec, “Leaving the store now. Should be at the gas station in ten.”

In the background, I can hear footsteps moving quickly. Something clunks. A door shuts. “Got it. I’m on the way.” His tone lowers, shifting from brisk to reassuring. “We’ll get her back, Enzo. I promise.”

Shit.

We have to.

I have to.

I can’t lose her.

CHAPTER 19

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