Page 43 of Declan's Hope

"…the children." Hope’s slightly muffled, pleading voice sounded. Declan tensed. "If it’s me you want, then let them go."

"Solace, grab my phone off my desk," Garrett threw over his shoulder. She raced from the room as Declan took the phone from Garrett’s outstretched hand. None of them spoke as they listened helplessly to what played out over the phone.

"Let go of her," a young boy’s voice cried out, followed by Hope’s "Toby, no!" Then her anguished, "Don’t you touch him!"

"Perra estúpida!"

Declan’s fists clenched then his head snapped back at a slap and Hope’s startled, "Ahh."

"Now, back in your seat. Señor Salazar wants you in one piece."

"Here’s the phone," Solace said low, handing it off to Garrett before standing beside Declan and placing her arm around his waist, just as Chance returned. The other man stood at the ready beside the colonel—his features hard and stance telling. Declan would recognize former military anywhere.

"Don’t be pissed," Garrett said, glancing at him as he gently lowered Destiny to the floor. His friend didn’t let her go far as he anchored her to his side. But then again, she didn’t seem to be in any hurry to be let go as she wrapped her arms around him and held tight.

"Why would I be pissed?" he ground out. "My woman is in trouble and I can’t get to her. What’s to be pissed about?" He closed his eye at Hope’s quiet sob, then nearly had his heart ripped from his chest at her whispered, "I hope you’re still there."

How am I going to get to her?

"I have a tracking app running in the background on your girl’s phone."

Declan’s gaze flew to Garrett. "What?" He crowded next to his friend and watched as the phone honed in on Hope’s location.

Destiny frowned up at him. "Is this on mine too?"

Garrett didn’t answer, only giving her a quick glance before focusing back on his phone.

"It is." She grimaced but didn’t let go of his friend as she stared up at him. "We need to have a little chat."

"Sure thing, sweetheart. But first," Garrett said distractedly as he keyed in another command on his phone. "Let’s find Hope."

"Are they traveling toward…" That couldn’t be right. Could it? Declan lifted his head and stared at Garrett’s tensing profile.

"Son of a bitch," Garrett murmured before meeting Declan’s gaze, then his head whipped over to the colonel. "I might be wrong, but it looks like they’re heading to your house."

"My house?" The colonel’s stern brow snapped down as he crowded next to Declan and looked at the screen.

"Salazar’s making a statement."

"Everyone, hush," Solace hissed. "I need to hear what they’re saying." She moved closer to the phone where a barely discernible conversation in Spanish was going on close to Hope.

Declan kept his gaze focused on Solace’s intent features and how her eyes seemed distant as she listened. "They’re definitely headed to the colonel’s." Her brows flew up. "It’s going to be a…" She glanced over at their boss who drew closer until he stood right next to her. "There’s no other word I can think to translate it to, except to say bloodbath. Duncan, all those children and…" She gasped. "Hermana y sobrina."

"Holy shit," Jennings breathed out, his fists clenching.

Solace took hold of Declan’s bicep and squeezed, pulling his attention to her blazing eyes staring up at him. "They have Mercy and Kara too."

* * *

"Cal, we need to go faster." Declan sat in the cockpit of the custom UH-60M-like stealth helicopter the colonel had somehow managed to acquire next to his friend and stared straight ahead out of the window.

"Man," Cal said over their shared comm linked through their helmets. "I’m pushing it as hard as I can."

"I know." And he did know. It didn’t mean he had to like it. And it wasn’t that they wouldn’t arrive at Colonel Sheppard’s property well before Hope and the busload of children. They would.

But what was happening to his sister? His niece?

A search of Mercy’s home by some outside operatives had determined his sister and Kara had more than likely been blitzed as they’d left that morning for school and work. Mercy’s brief satchel and Kara’s book bag had been found scattered on the driveway—along with a little blood.

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