Chapter Seventeen

The Empty Cabin

Alexander

Bennett and the guns-for-hire Kenner had employed had been trekking through the trees for what seemed like hours before the tiny lodge came into view. Bennett’s feet ached from the endless march, the mindless banter doing little to improve his mood.

It had been some time since they’d discovered the bloodied body of the red-haired moron Craig had called Johnson. There’d been no sign of Bowman or Ella with the corpse, the ‘lack’ of them only amplifying his agitated concern.

He killed Johnson. Bennett pulled in a shaky breath. He knew Bowman was a killer, but he’d thought Bowman had put those days behind him. Bennett hadn’t expected the asshole to demonstrate the point quite so brutally.

Where’s Ella?

Bennett didn’t think he’d ever be able to ‘unsee’ the state Bowman had left Johnson in, and knowing what the bastard was capable of, he dreaded to think how poor Ella was faring.

She has to be waiting for me in the cabin.

That thought had helped whenever his weary limbs had complained about the arduous hike. He wanted Ella to be okay—needed to know she hadn’t been subject to the same fate as Johnson—but in truth, his pledge to come along had been more about coming out of the venture a hero in his daughter’s eyes. Bowman would surely have told her why she was there in the first place. No doubt the bastard had painted Bennett to be the ultimate bad guy. He needed to be the one who marched in with the troops and swept Ella to safety. Otherwise, any chance of a future relationship with her would effectively be over.

Why do I give a damn?

He scowled as his boot caught on yet another tree root. If he never saw another tree again, he’d be a happy man.

Maybe I’m just not father material, after all.

That was a freaking understatement, but it was too late to dwell on the past. For some reason, when Susie had demanded a paternity test, he’d elected to get to know his daughter. Looking back, it had been a vanity project, an extension of his own ego to meet the young, confident, and attractive woman who he’d helped to create, but that didn’t make him her dad. Only stepping up and putting her first would help to elevate him to that platform. He’d chosen to come with Craig and the other buffoons to find her, and he wouldn’t leave the bloody forest until he had Ella in tow.

Leaning against an old trunk for support, his attention rose to the clamor of excitement reverberating from the other men. Craig had been the first one to spot Bowman’s cabin, and peering into the distance, Bennett’s gaze settled on the small, wooden structure.

Ella. Low panic constricted in his chest as his focus speared the obscure-looking hut. Is that where he’s keeping you?

The building hardly seemed larger than an average garden shed. How could Bowman have chosen to spend time there? His brow furrowed as the query bandied in his mind, but deep down, he realized it was only there to shroud the real question resonating in whatever remained of his soul—how could anyone give their own child over to a monster who lived like that?

A dark chill raced along his backbone as he considered the accusation. How had he done that?

“We found the place.” Triumph echoed in Craig’s voice as he turned back toward the mob.

Bennett couldn’t decide how he felt about the guy. Craig was an arrogant prick, but he seemed to know his way around the forest. Bennett might have been able to abide the smug conceit in Craig’s eyes had he not taken such obvious glee from being the head honcho of the motley crew. Even though it was Bennett’s daughter who’d been held in the desolate place for days, Kenner had deigned to put Craig in charge of the gun-wielding mob, and upon realizing the men appeared to respect his authority, Bennett had decided to roll with the aggravating situation. Better that the collective acted to find Ella as quickly as possible. Bennett knew his resistance to Craig’s leadership wouldn’t help anyone, least of all his daughter, but it didn’t make Craig’s cocky glare any easier to tolerate.

“About fucking time,” grumbled one of the mindless goons who had traipsed behind Craig. The jerk turned, revealing a crooked smile to those gathered closest to him. “I was starting to think this place didn’t exist.”

Turning back to their destination, Bennett was almost inclined to agree. The cabin was positioned in a tiny clearing up ahead of their current position. Superficially, everything looked quiet, but Bennett knew Bowman too well to trust everything he saw.

“Be careful,” Bennett warned as he jogged past the others to try to catch up with Craig. “Remember, Bowman is a trained marksman. He could take any of us out from there.”

“We ain’t worried about fucking Bowman,” spat another of the morons Kenner’s money was paying for.

“No.” Craig’s expression was serious as he gestured for the group to stay back. “Bennett has a point. Bowman is a good shot, and Bennett helpfully already called to give the guy a head’s up. He knows we’ll be coming.” Numerous narrowing eyes slid in Bennett’s direction, the atmosphere strained as each man’s gaze echoed the unspoken accusation.

“Yeah.” A particularly ugly fucker sneered in Bennett’s direction. “Thanks for that, asshole.”

“I had a deal with Bowman.” Bennett shrugged, although he didn’t know why he felt he needed to defend himself to any of those idiots.

They were no one. Fingers and triggers with very little brains. Their opinions should have been irrelevant, yet Bennett knew any of them could report back to Kenner and slant his benefactor’s perspective of him. That idea clawed at his insides, ratcheting up his alarm. In the short term, at least, he needed Kenner in a tangible way. He couldn’t let anything fuck up his financial resources.

“We should surround the cabin and go in methodically,” Craig reasoned. “We found Johnson, and we know he’s fallen foul of Bowman’s skills. We need to make sure we go in clean and collect the asset.”

“ That asset is my daughter.” Bennett couldn’t hide his disdain. It was true he’d never shown women much respect in his life, but there was something insidious about hearing his own flesh and blood spoken about as though she was a possession.

The way I treated her, you mean?

He swallowed at his wry self-analysis. He had treated Ella like shit, but that didn’t mean he’d stand by and let anyone else do the same.

“And if you want her back in one piece,” Craig scoffed, “then I suggest you pay close attention.”

Bennett lifted his chin, his focus finding the sky. Had Ella looked up recently and seen the same cloudy prospect? Shit, what had he been thinking offering her to a swine like Tucker Bowman? He should have known better, should have done better…

“Fine.” What else could he say? “What’s your plan?”

He listened as Craig outlined his proposal, noticing several of the other men grunting with approval. It seemed the average intelligence level of Craig’s men was about the same as a glass of water. That was likely why Kenner had chosen them. Stupid people were less inclined to ask questions, but Bennett was worried that spending so much time around them might be ebbing away at his own I.Q.

“You two.” Craig signaled to a couple of guys waiting to his left. “Check out the smaller outhouse and keep in touch. The rest of us will head up to the cabin and surround it.”

Bennett watched as the designated men trudged up the gradient toward the cabin. They stooped, remaining low as they ran past the cabin’s window in the direction of the second rugged building.

“I can’t believe this is where he’s been keeping her.” Bennett shook his head as he eyed the shitty little hut once again.

“I can’t believe any so-called father would have given his own girl to a brute like Bowman.” Craig’s voice was laced with ridicule. “But we are where we are, Bennett.”

Fuck you.

The words hovered at his lips, though he found the will to hold them back. Getting into a row with Craig definitely wouldn’t aid his objective, however tempting the idea might be.

“Let’s go.” Craig motioned for the collective to get into position. “The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get out of this place.”

Bennett watched as the group crept forward, ascending the slope to the outside decking in groups of two. He loitered behind, aware that he was the only one who wasn’t armed, yet still wanting to be the one who rescued Ella. Maybe, if he was lucky, his daughter would be so impressed, she’d elect to live with him from now on. He could only hope.

Keeping back from their approach, Bennett edged forward, his heart picking up its pace as the group assembled around the cabin. Craig crouched by the door, signaling for him to stay low, and unthinkingly, he complied. He could imagine Bowman waiting just beyond the dark window with his weapon cocked and ready to unload. Even as his gaze darted to the pane to confirm for the fortieth time that there was no one visible, the mental image was all too easy to conjure.

“On three.” Craig mouthed words, his focus flying between the six men nearest him. The one to the left nodded as he slowly rose by the side of the door, his hands gripping his gun.

Bennett’s pulse accelerated as Craig lifted one hand and counted down the numbers with his digits. Time protracted as he watched them slide from three to two, his throat drying as he pushed his belly against the ugly decking. By the time only one finger was left erect, Bennett could hardly catch his breath.

The scene was reminiscent of an old movie as he watched Craig and four others spring into action. From his place on the dirty wood, the strangest thing was that everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion as one thrust back the door and the others crashed into the tiny space. The weight of the silence, once they’d vanished from his sight, was deafening, ringing in his ears until Alexander was certain he was going to vomit.

Pressed onto the splinters, he couldn’t decide what noise he feared hearing the most. Was it the hoarse and desperate scream of his own daughter or the splintering sound of a gunshot as it punctured the oppressive forest? Trying to slow his ragged breathing, he could only conclude that the tense hush suffocating him might be even worse.

“Fuck.” He whispered the word to the wooden decking. “What is going on in there?” His question was answered seconds later when multiple pairs of filthy boots stomped back into view.

“She’s not in there.” Craig looked livid at the shocking realization, but Bennett wasn’t worried about the moron’s hurt feelings.

“What?” he demanded, rising to his feet and striding toward them. “What do you mean, not there ?”

“He means she ain’t here,” hissed the especially ugly one with a petulant sneer. “No one is.”

What?

Stunned disbelief resonated in Alexander’s head as the idiots strode away, and even though he had no reason to suspect they were lying, he found himself walking to the entrance to see for himself. Gripping the door frame, he surveyed the scene with wide eyes. The shitty interior was even worse than the outside suggested, the limited possessions Bowman owned splayed all over the floor as if the residents left in a rush.

Because of me.

Something akin to guilt twisted in his chest. He’d created the panicky urge to flee in Bowman when he’d called him. Why had he done that?

His breaths came faster as he glanced quickly around the place, his attention settling on the small, rickety-looking bed at the far end of the space. There, dangling from all four of the posts, were what looked like blue neckties. Hypnotized by the odd discovery, Bennett edged closer, the well of nausea stirred by the sight of ropes secured to the middle of the bed.

Bowman had binds attached to his bed. Dread dissipated through his system as the freezing realization washed over him. There was only one reason a man like Bowman would have binds attached to his bed, and it meant bad news for Ella.

Shit.

Bennett’s hand rose to his mouth, as though the gesture alone would hold back the threatening stream of vomit. What the fuck had been going on in there?

“Come on, Bennett!” Craig’s gruff tone startled him from his paralysis, and turning away from the bed, he tried not to think about what fate might have befallen his daughter.

All he knew at this point was that Bowman had run and taken his little girl with him. They were out there somewhere in the big wide world, and knowing what a slippery and dangerous asshole Bowman could be, coupled with the multiple assets he had at his disposal beyond the forest, they could be fucking anywhere by now.

Bennett staggered to the door, barely making it past the threshold before the contents of his stomach spilled over the decking.

“Useless fucker!” Craig muttered as he ushered Bennett away. Crawling forward, he collapsed to the grass below with Kenner’s men. “If Bowman’s abandoned this place, then let’s make sure he has nothing left to come back to.”

Bennett looked on as Craig produced a box of matches from his pocket. A fraction of a second later, he struck one match, the tiny flame flickering in the forest breeze before he threw it into the open doorway. Silence engulfed the small clearing as the flame took hold, the fire spreading rapidly around the wooden interior.

“Good one!” one of the morons behind Bennett cried. “Burn this shithole down.”

“Don’t worry.” Craig’s grin was crooked as he sauntered toward the assembled men. “There’ll be nothing left of Bowman’s cabin but ash.”