Page 71 of Silent Sins

The last thing Mason saw as they pulled away was Avery behind the wheel, her eyes wide with terror.

Mason leapt to his feet in time to see the vehicle disappear down the street. “Nowhere far enough you can run, Goshiro. Nowhere on this earth.”

44

Avery’s mindraced as she followed Ryan’s directions to head south on the interstate, toward Tacoma. Her training kicked in, bringing an icy calm. She began to assess her options, calculating the risks and potential outcomes of each move. Ryan sat beside her, his service weapon trained on her, a cold, blank expression on his face as he divided his attention between her and whoever he was texting. She kept her expression neutral, not wanting to give away any hint of her thoughts.

Her eyes darted to the rearview mirror, checking for any signs of a tail or potential backup. Nothing so far.

Avery mentally reviewed the layout of the interstate, trying to anticipate where Ryan might be directing her and what his endgame could be. She hoped her comlink had remained active, providing a lifeline to her team, but she knew she couldn’t rely on that alone.

She snuck brief looks in his direction, analyzing his body language for any clues about his intentions. He was a skilled agent, too. Underestimating him could be a deadly mistake. But she also knew that she had the training and the experience to handle this situation. She’d find a way out of this mess, one way or another.

Though she didn’t dare say anything that might alert him to the fact that she still had her earbud in, she prayed the Lord would find a way to make Ryan sloppy. All it would take was one unguarded utterance that Mason could track …

She couldn’t believe how calm she felt, given the circumstances. Maybe it was because she knew that, for the moment, everyone else was safe. Mason, the team, they were all out of harm’s way.

The only one in danger was her.

Ryan looked completely different than the man she had worked beside for years. Gone was the boyish charm, the easy smile. In its place was a stark blankness, a fury that radiated from him like heat.

How had she never seen it before? How had she been so blind to the truth about him? Until the truth smacked her in the face, she had never believed he could be a mole, not in a million years. And yet, here they were.

Clearly trying to swallow down his panic, Ryan barked out terse directions, guiding her off the interstate and onto a series of winding back roads.

She followed his instructions carefully, fully aware of the comlink still nestled in her ear.

She knew that Mason and the team would be coming for her, but she also knew that they wouldn’t be able to help if she was already dead. She needed to find a way to convey their location without giving away the comlink, to buy herself some time until they could reach her.

Two exits later, Ryan ordered her off the interstate and into a large industrial area smashed between the highway and a swampy lagoon that bled into Puget Sound. The industrial spaces bustled with activity, giving her a moment of hope, but he quickly directed her around the back of the largest development. Now there were only soaring concrete walls on one side, and the boggy shore along the other. Except for the discarded fast-food wrappers caught in the weeds, there was no sign of human inhabitance.

He directed her to pull off onto a narrow, rutted track that led down to the water’s edge. The tires crunched over the gravel and loose stones, each jolt sending a shudder through the vehicle’s frame. As they bumped along the uneven ground, Avery caught sight of their destination: an old fishing shack, slowly sinking into the marsh that surrounded it. The weathered wood was grey and splintered, the roof sagging under the weight of years of neglect.

The salty tang of the marsh filled her nostrils, mixed with the faint, underlying scent of rotting vegetation. The air was heavy and damp, clinging to her skin like a clammy shroud. In the distance, a seabird cried out, its mournful call echoing across the desolate landscape.

“Stop here,” he ordered, his voice cutting through the oppressive silence.

Avery’s mind raced as she surveyed the scene. Quiet, isolated, out of sight of prying eyes—the perfect place for a murder. The soft ground would make it easy to dispose of a body, and the constantly shifting tides would erase any evidence within hours.

She was tempted to shove the vehicle in Reverse and floor it. Risking a gunshot seemed slightly less dangerous than allowing Ryan to get her into that shack. Her foot twitched on the brake pedal, her hands tightening on the steering wheel as she weighed her options.

But the moment evaporated as the crooked door to the shack flew open and a young Asian male stepped out, a pistol dangling from one hand. Dressed in baggy pants and a flannel shirt far too large for his thin frame––a style she privately referred to as Gang Casual––the thug’s face brightened when he saw Ryan.

Avery shoved the car into Park. The odds of escaping just went from slim to none.

“Out,” Ryan ordered her, exiting from his side of the vehicle. The damp ground sucked at his shoes as he stepped out onto the marsh.

The younger guy dipped his head deferentially and gestured at the rotting structure, a sly grin on his face. “You like?”

Ryan barely glanced over, his expression unreadable. “It’ll do.”

Avery took a deep breath, the cloying scent of the marsh filling her lungs. All she could do now was keep him talking, try to buy herself some time. “Why are we here?” she asked, her voice steady despite the fear that gripped her. Her skin prickled with goosebumps as a chilly breeze swept in off the water, carrying with it the faint, mournful cry of a seabird.

Ryan smiled, a cold, cruel twist of his lips. “You’ll see,” he said, motioning for her to get out of the car.

She did as he asked, her mind racing as she tried to figure out his plan. Was he going to kill her here, leave her body to sink into the marsh? Or did he have something else in mind?

The younger guy handed Ryan a length of thin nylon rope.

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