Page 78 of Tactical Revival

Her body trembles as I hold on to her, trying to bring her some semblance of comfort.

“I’ll make the call,” Michael offers, smiling warmly at her as he moves out of the barn.

“Hey, Lanetti, I’m going to remove the duct tape, okay?”

She nods at Lance, and he reaches up and tears the tape from her face. “I was so scared. I thought I was going to die!” She leans into me again, burying her face in my chest.

“You’re okay now. We found you,” I tell her. Her hair is soaked at the ends. All of her clothing from the waist down is drenched from the cold seawater. Carefully, I undo the wire wrapped around her wrists, and she hisses when it bites into her skin. “Sorry,” I mutter.

“It’s okay. You’re here. You found me.” She throws her now free arms around me and begins to sob, her shoulders shaking. “He was going to kill me. I know he was. Thank you. Thank you for finding me.”

It’s near midnight before I’m walking up the steps to the Anderson’s home. I’d texted Margot to let her know I was on my way, so instead of knocking on the door and risking waking her entire family, I remain just off the porch, waiting for her to step outside.

Exhaustion plagues me, seeping into my bones and dragging my mood down.

Yes, Lanetti is safe.

Guarded.

But we still haven’t caught the man responsible, and I’m starting to wonder if we will. Once again, Lanetti has no idea who had her. She’d been drugged and woke up beneath the barn this time, and he’d grabbed her while she’d been walking to the diner, in a spot where there are no security cameras.

This guy is a ghost.

The front door opens, and Margot slips out into the dim porch light. Just seeing her eases some of the weight I’m carrying. Truthfully, I hadn’t realized how much I’d come to rely on seeing her every day until I wasn’t.

Her hair is up in a messy bun, and black-rimmed glasses sit on her face. She’s wearing an oversized cream sweatshirt and black shorts. She steals my breath.

“Hey,” she greets in a loud whisper as she takes a seat on the middle step, then sets the Bible she’s carrying in her lap.

“Hey.” I take a seat beside her. “Doing some light reading?”

She laughs softly. “I’m struggling a bit these days, so I’m trying to remind myself that even when things get hard, we still need to give it to Him.”

“I get that feeling.”

“What’s going on? How’s Lanetti?”

“She’s good. In good spirits. No major injuries, but they wanted to keep her overnight for observation. We’re installing a security system at her house in the morning, and per her mother’s request, I’ll be shadowing her whenever she leaves.”

“Bodyguard time,” she replies with a smile.

“Apparently.”

“You don’t seem too happy.”

“I feel like I’m missing something.” I look at her and smile, a bit embarrassed. “You know, I used to be good at my job.”

“You are great at your job,” she replies. “Sometimes mysteries just take time to solve.”

“Time we don’t have.”

“We have Lanetti back.”

“But how long until he takes her again? Or goes after someone else?” I keep my gaze trained in the distance.

“I don’t know,” she says softly. “But I do know that worrying won’t add even a single moment to your life.”

“Luke 12:25. Nice.” I bump her gently with my shoulder, and she beams at me.

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