Page 77 of Wild Wolf
Nobody recalled seeing Oren leave with Taryn.
We hopped in the Porsche and started driving around the island, looking for Oren’s car, hoping we’d get lucky.
"I think I’ve got something," Isabella said. "Oren’s phone is off the grid right now. But it's made a couple trips out to Whistler Cay. One earlier today.”
I had the call on speaker now so JD could hear.
"It's pretty remote out there. Nothing but mangrove swamps and a little bit of land. Lots of channels to get lost in. If I was going to kidnap a hostage and sacrifice her to a wolf god under the moon, that’d be the place I’d do it.”
I asked Isabella if she could get a satellite feed on the island.
"Not right now. I can't task a satellite for this. I’d need several hours’ advance notice. I can tap into current feeds, but there's nothing over the area." She paused. "Now, if you getout there with a drone and give me remote access, I can provide overwatch.”
“We are en route now,” I said. “Keep me posted in case Oren’s phone pops up on the grid.”
"Doubtful. But I'll stay frosty.”
We headed back to theAvventura, hustled down the dock, and gathered our tactical gear and the drone. Then we hurried to the station, commandeered a zodiac, and took off for Whistler Cay.
Jack took the helm and throttled up as we passed the breakwater. The twin outboards howled, and the rigid inflatable skimmed across the inky swells. The moon glowed overhead, fat and full. A few clouds drifted on the breeze. The stars were our audience for this high-stakes adventure.
The sky rumbled in the distance as the second tropical storm rolled in.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins. I hoped we could get to Whistler Cay soon enough. I hoped our hunch was right. For all I knew, we were heading in the wrong direction.
40
It took about half an hour to get to Whistler Cay. We came in against the wind to minimize our sonic footprint. Jack killed the engine, and we paddled in for a stealth approach. With a shallow draft, the zodiac was perfect for navigating the swampy channels.
Mangrove roots plunged into the water like fingers—an intricate weave along the shore. When the wind blew just right, it whistled through the trees. Sometimes, it made eerie growls.
I unpacked the drone from its case and launched it from the deck. From an app on my phone, I could pilot the drone, the camera feeding to my screen. I gave Isabella access to my device. With a wireless earbud and an encrypted app, we had secure comms.
“Almighty, do you copy?”
“I copy Bravo One. I have control.”
The drone buzzed high into the night sky to recon the island.
We kept paddling through the channel, my head on a swivel. The sounds of the night filled the air. Mosquitoes swarmed. The bloodsuckers were out in force.
We paddled through the darkness until the channel ran dry. At low tide, the draft was shallow, and the canal turned into mudflats.
The storm clouds had rolled in, and a light rain began to fall.
JD and I gathered our weapons, slipped out of the zodiac, and staked it to the shore.
Isabella crackled in my ear. “Bravo One, I have a visual on the target. Northwest of your current position.”
I pulled the phone from my pocket and looked at the camera feed. The drone’s IR optics displayed two luminescent figures. “Copy.”
JD and I crept through the muck to the tree line. We slipped into the forest and took cautious steps through the underbrush, trying not to make a sound.
The high-resolution optics of the infrared drone camera gave a clear picture of the situation. Oren had tied Taryn to a tree at the far edge of a clearing. He pranced around her in a werewolf costume, howling at the moon. His growls echoed through the forest as JD and I advanced.
We picked up the pace and rushed to the edge of the clearing. Across the meadow, Oren savored the moment beforethe kill. He stalked and taunted his prey in a ritualistic fashion.
JD and I took a position behind some trees. With my rifle shouldered, I lined up the beast in the reticle of my sights. With this back to me, Oren stood in front of Taryn, taunting her with sharp titanium claws that glimmered in the moonlight, which poked through the clouds.
