Page 29 of Just A Kiss

Every instinct screamed at him to rush in and find Daphne, but he had to be smart. Drawing on his childhood familiarity with the area, he slipped silently between the trees toward the coordinates. Deputy Cooper followed close behind.

Emerging from the woods, they crouched behind a tangled bramble a short distance from where the three GMC trucks were parked. Carter’s pulse thundered in his ears. Daphne was so close, yet they had to wait, stick to the plan. Patience had never been his strong suit, but today, lives depended on it.

“Rushing in could jeopardize the operation,” Deputy Cooper cautioned in a hushed voice. “The two of us can’t take on this whole compound alone.”

Carter’s jaw twitched. His body was as tense as a coiled spring, ready to burst into action.

“I know, but I’ll be damned if I sit back while they try to slip away.” His protective instincts raged inside him. “We’ll wait here for the team.”

He lifted his binoculars, scanning the rocky terrain surrounding the mine entrance, but no door or hatch was visible. Deputy Cooper searched as well, to no avail.

“Lisa said she escaped through an underground trench that opened up close to where you found her,” she reminded him. “Since the compound is below ground, logic prevails that the entrance must be concealed.”

Carter nodded tersely while his eyes probed every detail. “Look for anything that seems out of place—a tree, bush, rock formation. Also, run the heat sensor, see if you pick up anything.”

Deputy Cooper slowly swept the area. “Nothing. This place must be reinforced steel. No heat signatures detected.”

Carter cursed under his breath, frustration mounting. “Where the hell is that damn entrance?” he growled in a gravelly voice as his gut twisted with worry for Daphne trapped below.

Hang on, love, we're coming, he silently urged.

“I don’t detect any CCTV cameras anywhere either,” Tanya said as she looked around. “Which is in our favor. At least they won’t see us coming.”

“Yeah... but first, we need to find the entrance.”

“The FBI will have a K9 unit with them. They should be able to sniff out where they disappeared to.”

“You’re right.” Carter checked his watch. “They should’ve been here already. Check in, won’t you?”

“There! They’re moving in from the other side of the mountain.” Tanya quickly contacted the agent in charge. Within moments, four men in FBI recovery gear arrived at their side.

“I’m Special Agent Cole Beck. Anything to report, Sheriff Scott?”

“We just arrived a couple of minutes before you. We don’t see any sign of an entryway into the underground compound.”

“We’re at the right spot,” Agent Beck said. “We did a perimeter ground depth measurement survey when we did a fly-over. There is definitely a steel structure below ground, a large one.” With a brief look at his team, he gestured to the three trucks. “Cut all the tires. I don’t want them to have a means of escape.” With a tap against his ear, he activated his team’s communication system. “Agent Powell, bring the K9s. We need to find that entrance.”

The three K9 agents immediately zeroed in on a camouflaged spot amid some bushes. Scratching furiously, they exposed a grass-covered trapdoor.

“Bingo,” the lead agent said. He made swift plans for entry and extraction with Carter. “Let’s move. We’re getting those girls out.”

Carter’s heart pounded, and his blood boiled with fury. Finally, the time had come to confront these monsters face to face, and he fully intended to make them pay. With Daphne to find, he had never been more ready for a fight in his life.

Carter’s heart sank as they uncovered the steel trapdoor. A high-tech fingerprint scanner and keypad lock barred their entry.

“Shit,” Agent Beck muttered, checking his watch anxiously. “The rear team covering the trench from the mountain road will be in position soon. We need this open now.”

“Blow it,” Carter said bluntly.

Deputy Cooper looked uncertain, but Carter silenced her protest with a sharp look.

“There are no guards, no surveillance. They don’t expect to be found here.” His voice turned icy cold. “Blow it. The entrance probably leads to an elevator or stairs down. Minimal risk.”

Agent Beck hesitated only a moment before nodding. “You’re right, we’re going in hard.” He turned to his team. “Summers, set the charges. We breach in thirty seconds!”

Carter's heart hammered as he took cover with Deputy Cooper behind a rocky outcropping. He knew it was a risk, forfeiting the element of surprise, but every passing second was intolerable, knowing Daphne was trapped below with those monsters.

His hands tightened into fists as rage simmered inside him. The thought of what she must be enduring fueled his determination. They would pay for this. For every scared girl ripped from her family. An icy calm settled over him, along with laser focus. Get Daphne out safely. Make them suffer.

---