Page 57 of Knight's Fall

“Got a visual.” Cole’s voice was distinctive over the coms though their connection was staticky.

Wings held his position behind Jay, holding his breath as he waited for a report.

“No visual signs of our asset. Booby traps are marked. Do we have the go ahead to breach?”

“Everyone in their places?”

A round of “copy” came from the others. Wings tensed, ready to bust through the door with his gun drawn. But he waited. He understood how the others struggled to keep their emotions separate from the mission when it involved their loved ones. He refused to be left out, but he couldn’t take the lead. Not if he wanted to protect Courtlyn and his team.

“Move in.”

The group went in unison from their positions to reach the cabin, their steps avoiding the flagged traps. Zane kicked in the front at the same time Sam forced his way through the rear. They swept each room with precision, but Wings knew the moment he entered that the cabin was empty. Courtlyn wasn’t here, and there wasn’t a sign that she’d ever been here.

The team regrouped in the grand room. Wings kept back, battling the urge to hit a wall or throw the furniture to destroy anything that Malcolm could have touched. The bastard had his woman. There was a possibility she was already dead, and he was spinning his wheels.

“It doesn’t even look like he’s been here. No trash, no food, no clothes, none of the supplies he bought at the hardware store,” Cole said.

“The prick was here when I came down to meet you guys. I checked,” Judah added. “It was just him, but he was sitting on the porch like he had the whole day to waste. He certainly didn’t look like he was heading out.”

“Let’s search the perimeter for clues.” Jay motioned for them to fan out, but he kept a hand on Wings’ shoulder to keep him in place. When they were alone, he stared into Wings' face until he was certain he had his friend’s attention.

“Keep it together. We’ll find her and him. You know we will.”

“I know. But when?” Wings shoved a hand through his hair. “When she’s dead? When it’s years down the road like it was with you finding your sister’s kidnapper? I’ve lost her, and I just found her.”

Wings knew reminding Jay of his long search for his sister and her captor was a low blow, but he hadn’t said the words to hurt his friend. He was only giving voice to his own fears, knowing Jay would understand.

Zane popped into the room, signaling for them to follow. “Judah’s got something.”

Wings bolted out the door with Jay hot on his heels. Judah was at the edge of the property, kneeling at the start of a dirt path that was meant for hiking.

“He went this way. There’s a small hunter’s cabin that’s supposed to be closed. It’s pretty run down from what I remember the property owner telling me. You can reach it by vehicle following a different road than what we went down. But you can get to it on foot from here. And somebody has. Recently too.” Judah stood and swiped the dirt from his hands on his pants. “It’s about a fifteen-minute hike.”

“He’s already gotten rid of Courtlyn,” Wings said, his heart clenching in his chest. “There’s no way he would risk taking her on foot if he suspected we were closing in.”

Judah shrugged. “He could have already stashed her there. I don’t know how long he was here before me. But even if she’s not with him, we need to take down this son of a bitch.”

“It’s all we’ve got,” Jay reminded him, and Wings finally nodded once in agreement.

“Anyway we could get satellite footage or something to find out if he’s there?” Wings asked.

Judah shook his head. “Too much tree cover. We’ll have to go in blind.”

“If we can’t see him, then maybe he can’t see us and won’t know we’re coming,” BB spoke up.

Jay looked over at his teammate ruefully. “With this guy, don’t count on it.”

Wings agreed though he didn’t voice his opinion.Just hang in there, Courtlyn. I’m coming. I swear I’ll get to you.

∞∞∞

The familiar pain, once white-hot and excruciating, had lost its bite. Her body was numb, her mind detached from what was happening.

She’d learned after the fifth or sixth cut to her skin that she couldn’t show she was unfeeling. Her lack of emotion only made him more forceful and gruesome. Her screams and cries fueled his pleasure. The more she hurt, the more he puffed up his chest and grandstanded about all of the things he’d done.

This time, her shout was delayed. He narrowed his eyes before placing the small blade he was now using down on a table with an array of others. Each knife varied in size. Each cut varied in depth. Most were superficial, but those that ran deeper leaked blood down her body to pool on the plastic sheeting on the floor.

“Do you think I’m stupid, Courtlyn?”

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