Page 52 of Ethan's Command

“He said that Liam escaped. He’s somewhere in this park.”

Rusty rubbed his jaw. “Well shit, that’s better than dead, but it’s nighttime. There have to be over ten thousand acres to search. We need to call in backup and the authorities.”

Ethan nodded toward his truck. “Let’s look at the map.” They all walked back over to the truck and Ethan pulled out an iPad with the map of the preserve on it. He handed it to Bellamy and then went around the door to talk to Brooklyn.

Cooper applied some antibiotic ointment to the reddened scratch and then stepped out of the way.

Brooklyn’s eyes filled with unshed tears when she met his gaze.

He leaned in. “Hey,” he said as he gave her a hug. “Liam’s alive. He’s okay.”

She pulled away. “Is that what that man said? That Liam’s alive?” Her face filled with hope.

“He said that Liam escaped into the preserve.”

All the light in her face died. “But… how will we search thousands of acres… he’s only…” her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes, but you see those four dogs behind you?” He pointed to the dogs who were lying in the dirt waiting for orders. “They are the best in the business. We’re gonna find Liam. They’re gonna help us.”

He gave her shoulders a squeeze and then went back to the front of the truck. “Cooper, call Nova and fill her in.”

“Way ahead of ya.” Cooper pointed to his phone. He was already talking with her.

Good, that meant the authorities were officially notified. They could get on with what they needed to do. Nova would run interference for them.

“There are a couple shacks in here. I come hiking sometimes,” Rusty said by way of explanation.

“Yeah,” agreed Bellamy. “I know the ones you mean.”

Rusty pointed to the map. “I think this is the most likely one for them to hold Liam in. It’s accessible by an old dirt road and it’s not too far from here. Makes it the most appealing.”

Bellamy nodded again. “I agree. The other one is too far into the rainforest for these guys.”

“Let’s go there and see if the dogs can pick up Liam’s scent.” Ethan grabbed the iPad and they all loaded into the SUV. They put the dogs in the back and headed toward the shack.

“We need something of Ethan’s, something for the dogs to get his scent from,” Cooper pointed out.

Ethan swore. They didn’t have anything and going to get something would just cause more delays.

“His sweatshirt,” Brooklyn said triumphantly. She pulled it out from behind her.

“Excellent,” Bellamy commented as Ethan braked in front of the shack.

“How do we know no one else is here?” Brooklyn said suddenly. “Could there be more Yakuza?”

“No. They are either out looking for Liam, which is highly unlikely, or if anyone else was here, they took off when Liam escaped. No one wants to be responsible for losing the kid.”

They all piled out and got the dogs out of the cargo space.

Cooper answered a call as Ethan went around to Mojo.

“Ethan, I’m gonna hang back so I can meet up with Nova. She wants Rusty there too since he was the shooter.”

The second Ethanlet the dogs loose, Tucker and Mojo sniffed the air, their bodies tense, their instincts on high alert. The small, dilapidated shack before them looked as if it had been forgotten by time, its wooden walls rotting, paint long since peeled away. The single window was cracked, the frame splintered, and the door hung slightly ajar, swaying eerily in the humid night breeze. The scent of mildew and damp earth permeated the air, mingling with something far more acrid—fear, desperation, and sweat.

Ethan took a step forward, his gun clutched in both hands, as Mojo pushed inside first, his snout pressed to the floorboards. Brooklyn was right behind them, her breath coming in shallow gasps. She put her hand over her mouth as she looked around the ramshackle room. A battered cot sat in one corner, the thin mattress stained and sunken. Coils of rope lay discarded near the wall, remnants of Liam’s captivity. Scraps of food—crushed crackers, a half-eaten granola bar—were strewn across the floor.

Brooklyn’s fingers clenched into fists. They’d confirmed Liam had been here. Alone. Afraid. She swallowed convulsively as if to keep from being sick. Ethan focused on his dog, concentrating on what was happening. There would be time for emotion later.

---