Page 35 of Comforted By The Mountain Man
“Oscar used her to do the numbers and mask his dealings,” Asher answers for me and his tone is clear that no one has a right to question or judge me.
The men share looks, have silent conversations, then nod, determined.
“We’re closer than we were this afternoon. We know who has him,” Grayson says. “We just have to find where they’re holding him.”
I gasp.
Finally able to formulate words, I look up at Asher. “Did Ryder leave Hulk here? Do you remember him taking it with us?”
He thinks, searching his memory. We both conclude he had the plushy but I ask everyone to search the house just to be sure.
I race back downstairs. “I don’t see it anywhere.”
“I’m sure he took it with him,” Asher says, following me to the living room where all the brothers return.
“Why are we looking for his toy?” West asks.
“I forgot,” I pull out my new smartphone, log into the site I thankfully remember the password for. “When Oscar started taking Ryder with him until late at night, I got paranoid. One of the girls at the club mentioned using these baggage air tags to track her then-cheating boyfriend.” The login works and the site loads. “She had an extra one. I stole it. I sewed it into Ryder’s plush toy.”
Tears spill as I see the dot on a map. I face Asher, holding up the phone. “I feared one day, Oscar wouldn’t come back with my son. I knew Ryder kept his Hulk with him, always.”
Asher takes the phone, focusing. His eyes dart around his brothers. “He’s twenty-five minutes south of here.”
Relief fills the room. I almost collapse with hope. Grace rushes and takes me in her arms. Hugging her back, the men move like a military unit. I watch as they make plans, talk about weapons, and how many cars they’re taking.
The plan becomes, I answer the MC, leading them to believe I’ll give them what they want but only if I confirm Ryder’s alright and how I can get him back. I’m the distraction. They don’t know and won’t see the Hunter brothers coming.
As the men charge out of Asher’s, they each look me in the eye, promising to bring him back safe. Asher grabs what he needs, then pulls me to the door. He holds my face and rests his forehead against mine.
“I love you, Sierra Martinez.”
The air in my chest stutters. My wide eyes, red with tears, well up for an entirely different reason.
“I’m bringing our boy home. Then, when we’ve settled, healing our guy with love and good memories again, you can say it back.” The smallest grin tips his lips before he kisses me.
I take his shirt in my hands and hold it tight. I kiss him, infusing every emotion spiraling through my mind and heart.
He backs up, kisses my forehead, then leaves. A man focused.
The Hunter brothers enter their vehicles. Each fierce, determined. A force. Suddenly, watching these seven men go to war for me and my son, a steadiness settles in my soul.
Somehow, I know without a shadow of a doubt. My son is returning home.
10
ASHER
The gravel crunches under our boots as we gather around Grayson's tactical map spread across the hood of his Jeep. Twenty-five minutes south of Eden Ridge, we've pulled off the main highway onto an old logging road, close enough to the warehouse to move quickly but far enough away that any lookouts won't spot us coming.
The sun is setting behind the mountains, casting long shadows through the pine trees. In another hour, it'll be full dark, which could work for us or against us depending on how many men they have inside that building.
"Satellite imagery shows three main entrances," Grayson says, pointing to the printout he pulled up on his phone. "East side has a loading dock, probably the most obvious entry point. West side has a personnel door, looks like it leads into what used to be the office section. South entrance appears to be the main shipping area."
I study the building layout, my hands clenched into fists. Somewhere in that maze of concrete and steel is Ryder, probablyscared out of his mind, wondering why his daddy isn't coming to save him.
Because that's what I am now. His daddy. And daddies don't let bad men take their kids.
"How many vehicles did we count on the drive by?" Nash asks, checking his rifle one more time.
