Page 98 of Mountain Refuge

In an office of towering bookcases and polished cherrywood furniture, two burly men shoved them into armchairs and ordered them not to move. Their guards stood near the door. One grinned when Taya glanced his way.

She shuddered and turned back to Tracy. Her niece, skin pale, folded into herself, her face hidden by her hair. Soft whines came from her throat as she rocked back and forth.

Steel replaced the blood in Taya’s veins. She would find a way to get them both out of here before Tracy suffered irreparable damage. Taya squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, then met the cold gaze of her guard with one of her own.

“The Boss is going to have fun with you,” he smirked out of the side of his mouth.

Taya kept her face impassive. She would not give him the satisfaction of showing fear.

The man’s eyes widened. He frowned. “I’m not sure what he wants with a cold one like you, though.”

“That is my concern.” Mason stepped into the room. “Turn the chairs to face my desk, then you may wait outside. Close the door behind you.” He sat.

Taya was lifted and turned as if she weighed nothing more than a small child. She switched her emotionless stare to the man she’d once called friend.

Mason grinned. “I bet you didn’t think the man you looked for was me. Did you grieve when you thought I died? Ah. The flicker in your eyes tells me you did.” He steepled his fingers. “I should win an award for my acting skills, don’t you think? All those missions…I bet you’re wondering why I turned. Simple answer, my dear Taya. Money. A crass reason, but true nevertheless.” His brow furrowed. “So, it’s the silent treatment. Shall I tell you what I plan to do with you and your pretty little niece?”

Taya swallowed against a throat as dry as the Sahara Desert and kept her gaze locked on a shadow on the wall caused by a tree branch outside. She didn’t know how long she could keep her thoughts to herself, but she’d do so as long as possible.

“I guess you’re wondering why you’re here. Why I didn’t kill you and take the girl.” He shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure. Oh, your niece will fetch me a pretty penny, but you…well, you’re just going to be trouble, aren’t you? Unless—” His smile widened. “You think this through and see the benefits in joining me. We made a great team once; we could do so again.”

Her gaze flicked to his. Join him? As in run a trafficking ring? Didn’t he know her at all? If he had, he would know she would never do such a thing. She would die first.

“It might convince me to save your niece.”

“Tracy.” She forced her name through clenched lips. “Her name is Tracy.”

“So, you haven’t lost your ability to speak.”

She hitched her chin again and looked slightly to her left.

“I must admit the top of a mountain is the last place I thought you’d flee.” He got up and moved to the front of the desk where he perched a leg against it. “I thought you were more of a big-city gal.” He leaned close, his breath on her face. “I found you, Taya. See, I know you better than you thought. I simply had to find your car. It didn’t take too long after that. You hiked up the mountain, didn’t you? Smart, but it didn’t work. See?” He gripped her face in one hand and forced her to look at him. “You can’t beat me.”

She endured through the pain of having her cheeks smashed against her teeth. This was only the beginning.

~

“What do you mean you lost the signal?” Ryan whipped around from the window.

“I never had it. Just when I was zeroing in on it, it went out.” Snowe glanced up from his laptop. “I don’t know where they are.”

“Let’s be glad neither was shot along with the two Langley police officers.” Sheriff Westbrook yanked open the front door.

Betty barged inside and made a beeline for Ryan. She barked and ran circles around him.

He knelt and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Do you think she can lead us to them?”

The sheriff shook his head. “Not if they were taken away in a vehicle, which I’m sure they were.”

Ryan pushed to his feet. “I cannot believe they were taken one block from the safe house. How did Mason find them? Would June Mayfield have told anyone?”

“No way. That woman knows everything there is to know about everyone in this town, but she also knows how to keep a secret when she needs to. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have put them with her.” His face darkened.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you don’t know how to do your job.” Ryan raked his fingers through his hair and plopped onto a chair. “They could be anywhere.”

“Give me an hour,” Snowe said. “I’ll have a good idea. Within a mile at least.”

“What if they don’t have an hour?”

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