Page 58 of Guarded from Danger

“What, Luce?”

She pauses, and for just a second, I think she’s going to tell me she changed her mind. That she wants to go back to the apartment, that she’s not ready after all, that she’d rather spend the next hour with Sarah and Rambo.

Her expression softens. “It’s not your fault. I know that’s what you’re thinking. But it isn’t.”

She keeps telling me that, but I know the truth.Itook her into a situation that wasn’t one-hundred percent safe.

Lucy was in danger and it was because of me.

Just as I’m trying to come up with a response that won’t sound like I’m disregarding her feelings, Dante says, “Okay. Sorry about the delay. If we’re all ready to start?”

Everyone straightens as they turn towards Dante, fully at attention. We all lift our chins in silent agreement, and Dante continues, “I was just texting with Cruz. He was giving me an update on the men we caught yesterday.”

Lucy’s fingers convulse around mine.

Niall leans forward. “And?”

“It’s pretty much a confirmation of the information we got out of them. Hired anonymously on the dark web, payment was supposed to be in cryptocurrency, and Lucy—” Dante stops to glance at her, his brows raised in question.

“Just say it,” she says quietly. “That’s why I’m here. I want to know everything.”

With a small nod, he says, “Alright. So. They were supposed to leave Lucy at an abandoned barn outside Harwood. Once delivery was confirmed, they’d get paid.”

“And the instructions they were given?” I ask. “They didn’t know that Lucy was outside. Were they planning on trying to break into the ranch?”

“Apparently.” Dante’s expression goes dark. “They were told that there would probably be other people here and to use deadly force if necessary.”

Lucy sucks in a sharp breath. “They were going to come inside and start shooting?”

“Hardly,” Niall scoffs. “They wouldn’t have been able to get in here. Not past the alarm system and the reinforced doors and windows.”

Guilt sweeps through me again. If I’d just kept Lucy inside…

“So do we have anything useful from them?” Rhiannon asks. “Some clue to the people at the top?”

“Not from them,” Dante answers. “But thanks to Matt, Leo, and Beth, we’ve made some significant progress.”

“Since the last meeting?” Erik glances first at Dante, then Matt. “What did you find out?”

Matt and Dante exchange a quick look, and a moment later, Matt says, “We’ve made several discoveries over the last few days. And one last night that was particularly promising.”

“Do you know—” Lucy’s mouth snaps shut and her cheeks go pink. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s fine, Lucy.” Matt gives her a reassuring smile. “I understand why you’re eager to hear.”

Impatience fills me with restless energy, and I have to fight the urge to drum my fingers on the table or tap my foot. This is new, or rather, it’s post-Lucy—this loss of patience. In the Army, I could stay still for hours without losing focus. I could wait for days until we found just the right moment to stage an attack. But when it comes to Lucy’s safety, waiting is a torturous thing.

“So,” Matt continues, “first off, we found three other… contractors, I guess you could call them, who answered anonymous ads very similar to the one targeting Lucy. We believe the people they were supposed to abduct were intended to be new captives. But fortunately, that’s not going to happen.”

“Cruz said the three men who answered the ads are in custody,” Dante adds. “And the intended targets are under police protection.”

Lucy exhales softly. Her fingers loosen their vise-like grip around mine. “That’s good,” she murmurs. “I’m glad.”

Matt dips his head at her. “It is. And another thing, we’ve been able to trace some more of the people betting on the game. So they’re going to be brought up on charges, too. Fraud. Conspiracy. And—” His features harden. “Between Leo, Beth, and myself, we’re going to make sure everyone in their lives is notified of the illegal activity. Their employers. Spouses. They won’t get out of this without repercussions.”

“Good.” Rhiannon scowls. “Those assholes deserve to be punished.”

“They do,” Matt agrees. “And thanks to the web crawler we have running, I anticipate finding more of them.” He pauses. “It seems like word has gotten out. There’s definitely a significant decrease in interest in the game. There haven’t been any new videos posted in almost a week. And in cooperation with the FBI, all the people who were being held captive have been rescued.”

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