Page 104 of The Pawn
“Can’t drive this terrain without lights.”
My phone pings again. My heartbeat skips. It’s an unknown number. Jet looks at me as I swipe to open it, unsure what I’ll find. But what I see isn’t a photo. It’s a text message. A location.
Jet glances at me.
Given the distance between this place and home, he’ll expect me to take an hour to get here. Little does he know I’m in his back yard.
“That’s him. Stop the cars. We go on foot.”
“You sure?” Jet asks. “We can get closer.”
“He just sent the location. We have the element of surprise. We need it. He’s using her as bait, Jet. I can’t take a chance, I won’t, not with her life.”
Jet glances at me. He presses a hand to my shoulder. “We’ll get her.”
I nod, but there’s a part of me that knows he could have done anything to her after taking that photo. She could already—no. I need to stop.
One of the soldiers in the backseat radios the others. The SUVs come to a stop and a moment later, the forest is plunged into sudden and complete darkness. We climb out, an army of men all dressed in military fatigues, armed to the fucking nines. Jet, too, has an AK-47 strapped across his chest. We hike through dense forest, our boots crunching dead leaves and branches. The chill in the air makes me think of her bound and naked and freezing. I let the thought of her drive me closer, hurry my steps, my men at my back. We are soldiers going to war.
We stop at the bottom of the final hill. Once we’re at the top, I’ll see exactly what we’re dealing with. All is silent and I give the signal to move, leading the way, Jet flanking me.
Night noises surround us, and as wenear the top of the hill, I hear the lake. An unnatural light suddenly illuminates the sky, and we freeze. Are we caught? Was I wrong about the element of surprise?
I ready myself for an onslaught of bullets and even as each man stands with hands on his weapon ready for war, nothing happens.
I signal for them to remain as they are and listen, making out a sound like a car engine as we get closer. A generator, I realize. It must be powering the light going skyward. What the fuck is he doing?
We ascend the final hill that blocks the ruin of the lake house from view. I assume he’s making that his command post. A bird chirps overhead, disturbed by our approach. Leaves rustle as it takes off from its perch. Again, we hold still, listening for any sound, watching for any movement. Only once all is silent again do we take the final steps to the top of the hill where I’ll be able to see exactly what we’ll be walking into.
But when I get there, I stop dead. Because I’m unprepared for the sight that greets me. Even though I know the trap he’s made of her, even though I know she’s naked and bound and bait, I’m unprepared and it takes Jet’s grip on my arm to keep me from charging down the hill and toward the house. It takes Jet’s grip to keep me from running straight into Malek’s ambush.
Because she’s literally dangling from a wooden post, the highest point of what’s left of the house, exposed and freezing in this icy night. An easy target for any bullet. And beyond her, just within view, I see Enzo standing guard, looking for our approach with binoculars to his eyes. Turning a circle to look in all directions. He too is dressed for battle. He, too, is armed to the nines.
“She’s alive,” Jet says quietly. “She’s alive. And they don’t know we’re here. Don’t do anything stupid. We’ll get her. Don’t be fucking stupid.”
He’s right. I know that.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I check the display. It’s a text from one of my soldiers telling me they’ve come across Moretti soldiers walking to the lake house. That they’ve taken them out.
“We need to get closer,” I say. “I want her down from there before the war begins.”
Jet signals to the men and we fan out, a handful of sharpshooters remaining on higher ground, the rest of us beginning our descent. The sound of the lake is an absurd thing in this strange, heavy moment. A peace that does not belong. The terrain is mossy on the way down, the earth swallowing up our steps.
Someone whistles near me. A casual tune that has no business here.
We stop.
Leaves crunching underfoot, the man steps out of a cropping of trees buckling his belt. Jet snorts, alerting him to our presence. I lunge for him before he sees me coming, before he has time to sound the alarm. Before he has time to belt up his fucking pants after taking his last ever shit. Keeping hold of him, I drop to the ground with him. The unnatural sound of a neck snapping follows. A life ended. This is how quickly it can happen. How easy it is to kill a man.
A woman.
I let the weight of him drop, but when I do, something slips from his belt. His flashlight. The lightbounces as it rolls and before I even straighten to stand, a familiar voice calls.
Enzo’s voice.
Enzo alerting Malek’s army to our presence.
Enzo, my blood, my friend, the traitor, taking the first shot as chaos erupts all around us.
