Chapter 18

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

Raid stared out the window, lost in thought.

He’d been speaking with Tonka every few days, and neither had any more clue as to where Garcia was than the day they’d heard he’d been let out of prison and flown back to his country. He could literally be anywhere, and that didn’t sit well with either of them.

For his friend, the drug dealer’s release brought back horrible memories. Things that Tonka had finally dealt with in his head and through therapy, and he’d done an amazing job of compartmentalizing and moving on. Knowing Garcia could be after them even now had put him in a dark place for a while, but with the help of his wife and daughters, and his friends at The Refuge, he was pulling out of it. More determined than ever to make sure those he loved weren’t hurt at Garcia’s hands.

Because Raid had been unconscious, his knowledge of what happened that day came from the reports and what others had told him. Many days he felt as if that was just as bad, because his imagination would kick in as he pictured how it all went down.

The thought of Garcia getting his hands on Khloe, or Duke for that matter, kept him up at night. The more time that went by with no information on the man’s whereabouts, the more on edge Raid became. The guy could wait years to take his revenge, or he could do it today. Raid was trying not to be paranoid, but with every day that passed, his anxiety ramped up.

Tonka felt the same way. Both men were certain that Garcia would definitely do something. They didn’t know what, didn’t know when, but both were completely sure that he’d make a move at some point.

It was ironic that Pablo Garcia and Alan Mather had something in common. They’d vowed to make their perceived enemies suffer…when in reality, both men had brought their incarceration on themselves.

Thinking about Alan had Raid’s lips twitching. At the moment, he and Khloe still needed to be on their toes. But markers had been called in, and soon it would be made very clear to Alan that if he continued his harassment of Khloe Watts, he wouldn’t like the consequences.

Raid wasn’t exactly proud of using threats against Alan, but men like him didn’t understand any other way of communicating. Case in point: the piece of shit was still threatening Khloe from behind bars, using his brothers to do his dirty work.

Therefore, a certain mercenary out in Colorado had volunteered to use his connections to set things in motion. He’d make sure Alan wouldn’t be a problem for Khloe in the near future.

Raid jerked as Khloe’s arms wrapped around him from behind. He immediately covered her hand on his belly with his own.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about so hard?” she asked quietly.

Raid had no intention of stressing Khloe out by telling her about his worries—or what was about to happen to the man who’d tried to kill her. He turned in her grasp and pulled her closer, resting his chin on top of her head…and lied his ass off. “Just how happy I am.”

It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy. He was. But his happiness was tainted by an expectation of evil lurking in the shadows.

“Me too,” she told him. “Has Ethan said anything to you guys?”

Raid’s lips twitched. Khloe’d told him all about what Lilly had said at their painting party a few weeks ago. Ever since then, she’d periodically asked him if Ethan had let it slip that his wife was pregnant again.

“No. It’s not like we sit around and chat about cycles and pregnancy,” he said with a small chuckle.

“I know. I just thought maybe when it happens, he’ll be so excited, he won’t be able to keep it a secret.”

“And you think Lilly could?”

“Yes,” Khloe said. “She’s worried. And scared. She lost one baby, and I’m sure she doesn’t want to get her hopes up with another pregnancy until there’s an above-average chance the baby will survive. She could be five months into her pregnancy before she feels comfortable sharing.”

“And that’s bad?” Raid asked, pulling back and looking down at the woman in his arms.

“No! Not at all. She needs to do what she needs to do in order to feel comfortable. But I want to know so I can help keep an eye on her. You know, when she’s on her feet too much, I can make her sit. Or I can go see her instead of having her come to the clinic or here. Things like that. I worry about her.”

Raid’s heart melted. His Khloe was such a good person. “If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks,” she told him quietly. “I want this for her so much. She was so excited about being a mom. She and Ethan will make such good parents.”

Raid had to agree.

“Anything in particular you want for lunch?” she asked.

He smiled. He was used to Khloe changing subjects quickly. He figured it was a result of her being so smart, her mind constantly churning about a dozen things at once. When she decided she was done with a topic, she was done.

“Grilled cheese sandwiches?” he asked.

“Sounds good. I’ll let Duke out and get started. You can hang out here, staring off into space thinking until I’m done.”

Raid chuckled. “I’m done thinking for now. I’ll go start heating the pan.”

Khloe went up on tiptoes and kissed his chin. “Okay.”

Raid forced himself to let go of her and watched with a small smile as she roused Duke and convinced him that he should go outside. Yesterday, he and Duke had gone on their first search since his surgery, and he’d done fantastic. They hadn’t found the missing hiker before he’d walked out onto the main road and got himself rescued, but Duke showed no signs of fatigue and seemed very happy to be back on the job.

The sandwiches cooked quickly and after they’d eaten, Raid sat on the couch with Khloe tucked up against him as they watched another cooking show. It was somewhat amusing that these kinds of shows entertained them so much, as neither of them was a great cook.

It wasn’t until around three that Raid noticed Duke wasn’t in his normal spot in his dog bed in the corner.

“Shit! We forgot Duke!” he exclaimed, feeling incredibly guilty.

“Oh no!” Khloe said as she immediately got up off the couch with him and headed for the back door.

Raid opened the sliding-glass door with a little more urgency than normal. Duke was probably out in the huge yard napping under a tree…in the mud. There were plenty of rabbit, squirrel, and raccoon scents in the three acres to keep him busy and tire him out.

“Duke!” he yelled after looking around and not immediately seeing the bloodhound.

But the dog didn’t come loping through the trees toward him at the sound of his voice.

“You go that way,” Khloe ordered, pointing to the right. “I’ll go this way.”

Raid nodded, panicking slightly that his dog hadn’t immediately come when called.

Having a three-acre fenced yard was great for Duke to roam and get some exercise, but it took way too long to search right about now. Raid walked along the perimeter of the yard to the right while Khloe did the same on the left side. He could see her through the trees as they systematically searched. But with every second that passed, and Duke didn’t respond to either him or Khloe calling his name, the more dread welled up inside him.

He’d almost lost the big lug a few months ago. He wasn’t ready to lose him now.

It wasn’t until he reached the back corner of the property that fear really sank in.

A tree had fallen onto the fence, crushing it underneath the massive weight. Duke could have easily gotten out of the enclosure, especially if he caught an interesting scent from outside the yard.

“Khloe!” Raid yelled.

He saw her jogging toward him—and the worry on her face when she caught a glimpse of the crushed fence. “Oh no! He got out?”

“Looks like it,” Raid said tightly as he turned back toward the house.

“Duke! Come back!” Khloe yelled almost frantically.

“Khloe, come on, we need to make some phone calls then head out and see if we can find him,” he told her.

“We’re kind of close to the road,” Khloe said with tears in her eyes. “He might’ve gotten hit.”

Raid had already thought about that, but didn’t want to bring up the possibility. “Don’t borrow trouble. You know as well as I do that bloodhounds can go for miles and miles and miles when they’re on a scent. And when they do finally lose it, they look up and wonder where the hell they are. Duke’s a great dog, but he’s not exactly the brightest. He’s been on hundreds of searches through the woods around here, though. I have every confidence that he’ll be able to use his nose to get back to a place that’s familiar to him. In the meantime, we need more eyes than just ours. I have to call everyone.”

“Yes!” Khloe said, impatiently wiping her face of the tears that had managed to fall. “You call the guys and I’ll start getting in touch with others around town.”

Raid nodded. Everything he’d told Khloe about Duke was the truth, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still terrified for his dog.

They burst into the house and headed straight for their cell phones. Raid called Ethan first.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked as he answered.

“Duke got out of my yard. He’s been gone anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. I need help looking for him.”

“Shit, all right. I’m just finishing up a job now and I’ll head out as soon as I can. You need me to call anyone else?”

“Thanks. And yes, if you can let Rocky and Zeke know, I’ll call Drew, Brock, and Tal.”

“Got it. We’ll get the word out, Raid. We’ll find him. It’s not like Duke is a stranger in these parts.”

Raid knew that, and was counting on it. If someone around town saw Duke by himself, they’d certainly know something was up and grab hold of him until Raid could get there. And if a local saw him on a trail in the woods, surely they’d wonder what he was doing out there alone.

“Thanks. My number’s on his collar, so hopefully if someone finds him, they’ll call.”

“They will,” Ethan said. “We’re on this. Later.”

When Raid hung up, he heard Khloe speaking with Harry Grogan, asking him to spread the word.

He hated this. Wanted to be out there looking for his dog, but he knew the more people who knew he was missing, the better chances Duke had of being brought home. He dialed Drew’s number.

Ten minutes later, it felt as if they’d called everyone they knew in town. Khloe had spoken with everyone she could think of, even swallowing her pride and calling Ziegler’s office and letting them know to be on the lookout for Duke. They’d informed enough people that the gossip network of Fallport would be in full swing. Everyone would be looking for the bloodhound.

That should’ve made Raid feel better, but the dread that had formed in his throat was threatening to choke him. He was having a hard time thinking about anything other than Duke lying injured somewhere. Or scared and alone in the forest. Or hungry.

He’d thought it was bad when Duke was bloating and in surgery, but he’d been in good hands back then. In Khloe’s hands. Being lost was almost worse. The not knowing where he was or if he was hurt was excruciating.

For the first time, Raid understood a little more of what Tonka had gone through when Garcia was torturing Steel and Dagger. Their dogs had been smart and deadly, as well as affectionate and their best friends. Thinking about the pain and confusion they’d gone through as Garcia hurt them, and when their masters did nothing to stop it, was its own form of torture.

“Raid, snap out of it!” Khloe ordered gently. “What’s the plan? Where do you want to search first? Should we take separate cars?”

“No!” he exclaimed a little too harshly. Then he took a deep breath. “No, we stick together.” He wasn’t so far lost in his panic to forget there was a reason he and everyone in their group were keeping an eye on Khloe.

For a moment, Raid wondered if Duke’s being missing had anything to do with either one of their pasts, but he dismissed it. He’d seen the crushed fence. That tree hadn’t been tampered with. It had fallen on its own. It was just bad luck.

But he also wasn’t dumb enough to let Khloe go off on her own.

“Okay, your car or mine?” she asked.

“Mine,” he said. He needed the control of being behind the wheel. But his Expedition was also bigger. Duke barely fit in the back seat of Khloe’s Bug.

Raid didn’t miss Khloe grabbing her “go-bag” as she called it. The bag filled with medical supplies so she could help an injured animal en route to her clinic, if need be.

Pushing away the thought of Duke needing emergency medical attention, Raid grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

At first, they drove slowly up and down the road that went by his house with their windows down so they could call Duke’s name. When that didn’t work, Raid pulled into the parking areas for the hiking trail nearest his house. Both he and Khloe got out and yelled Duke’s name. Again with no results.

It was possible Duke headed toward town. He’d been there often enough and probably even remembered getting food from people here and there. So they drove into town, going down every street, hoping and praying to see Duke trotting down the road looking pleased as punch at his adventure.

But there was no sign of him.

Forty minutes later, Raid was struggling not to let panic overwhelm him. The guys had checked in periodically, and no one had seen hide nor hair of the wayward bloodhound.

“Maybe we should head back to your house and see if he’s there. He could’ve found his way back because he was hungry. You know, backtracked his own scent.”

It wasn’t a bad idea, but the more Raid thought about being in his house without Duke, the more his stomach hurt. He could still remember the first days he’d brought home the abused and neglected puppy who’d been thrown out like trash. Duke had quivered and cowered every time Raid went near him. But with a lot of patience, and food, he’d eventually come around. And become completely loyal to Raid.

No, Duke wasn’t as smart as Dagger had been, or vicious. He wouldn’t exactly tear the throat out of someone on command, but Raid had been content working hours and hours with Duke on tracking human scent. And now he was missing. Disappeared as if without a trace.

Khloe’s phone rang, scaring the crap out of him.

“Hello? Really? Oh my God, thank you so much for calling! We’re headed in that direction right now! Yes, I’ll let you know. Bye!”

Raid turned to ask who it was, but he didn’t need to bother when Khloe began speaking excitedly.

“That was Sandra. She said someone called the diner and said they saw Duke! He was near the trailhead for the Eagle Point Trail. I guess the person said they tried to get him to come to him, but Duke ignored him and trotted off.”

Raid floored the Expedition. He wasn’t surprised Duke wouldn’t go to a stranger. He’d never really learned to like many people…Lilly and Khloe were exceptions. He tolerated men, but Raid suspected he’d been abused by one as a puppy, so he’d never really learned to trust them completely.

The Eagle Point Trail was one of the toughest in the area, and not too far from his house. It made sense that Duke would be hanging around there, as he’d been on many searches starting in that very parking lot. He prayed Duke would stay put long enough for them to get to him.

“Did Sandra say who the person was? Why did they call her and not one of us?”

“She didn’t. Just that it was a guy, and he said he spotted a bloodhound that didn’t look like a stray, and he thought maybe someone would be looking for him. She thinks he was a tourist. He mentioned having the diner’s number because it’s one of the only places in town that does takeout.”

He wasn’t wrong. Hell, Raid knew the number by heart. He’d bought his fair share of meals from the diner, especially before he and Khloe got together.

Raid definitely broke the speed limit as he raced toward the trailhead. Every minute it took to get there was torture. He just wanted his dog back.

They pulled into the Eagle Point Trail parking area and saw three vehicles in the lot. There was a man Raid didn’t recognize standing next to an older-model Oldsmobile. That had to be the guy who’d called in the sighting of Duke. A black Jeep and a Honda Civic sat in spaces across the gravel lot, their occupants nowhere in sight. They were probably on the trail.

Raid pulled into an empty spot and was out of the car like a shot. He and Khloe walked toward the man.

“Did you call about my bloodhound? You saw him?” Raid asked bluntly, not wasting time with polite greetings.

“I did. He was over there,” the man said, turning and pointing into the trees.

Raid and Khloe turned to look where the man was pointing. Raid cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Duuuuuuuke!”

“Um, Raid,” Khloe said in a strange tone of voice.

He was entirely focused on trying to see any kind of movement in the forest. “Duuuuuke. Here, boy!”

“Raid!” Khloe said more forcefully.

Still distracted, Raid absently glanced at Khloe—and when he did, his blood froze for a completely different reason. All thoughts of his missing bloodhound disappeared in a flash.

The man who’d greeted them had pulled a gun and had it pressed against the back of Khloe’s head. She had her hands up, as if to show she was unarmed.

“What the fuck?” Raid growled.

“You’re going to do what I say, or I’ll blow her brains out right here,” the man said.

“My phone is in the car,” Khloe said quickly. “Raid’s too. Take them. Hell, take the car, the keys are still in the ignition,” she pleaded.

But Raid instinctively knew he wasn’t there to rob them. He wasn’t Pablo Garcia; this man was a tall Caucasian. But there was absolutely no doubt in his mind that he worked for the drug lord.

He’d been unbelievably stupid. Too concerned about Duke to think clearly. He’d been running around like a chicken with its head cut off and Garcia’s man had taken complete advantage.

“I don’t want your fucking phones,” the man informed Khloe. “You. Walk very slowly to my car and get in the trunk,” he told Raid.

Khloe inhaled sharply at the man’s demand. Her eyes were huge in her face and all the color drained from her cheeks as she stared at Raid as if waiting for him to get them out of this. But with that gun pressed against her skull, Raid had few options. He had no doubt the man wouldn’t hesitate to shoot. If he was working with Garcia willingly, he had absolutely no compassion, no humanity.

He hesitated too long. Without a word of warning, the man took the gun away from Khloe’s head, pointed it at Raid, and pulled the trigger.

Pain immediately exploded in Raid’s right leg. By some miracle, he managed not to crumple to the ground.

The sound of the gunshot was muffled, and Raid realized there was a homemade silencer at the end of the barrel of the gun. As soon as he had the thought, the gun was pressed back up against Khloe’s head. Her temple this time.

Khloe stood there, trembling in shock and fear, trying to catch her breath.

“I said, walk over to my car and get in the trunk. Unless you want the next bullet to be in her brain,” the man said calmly and clearly.

Knowing he had no choice, and hating that he’d put Khloe in this situation, Raid did as the man ordered and backed toward the vehicle.

“Raid, don’t…” Khloe begged.

“Yeah, Raid. Don’t,” the man mocked. “Please let me kill her. It’s been a while, and I’ll take great pleasure in doing so. I’ve had to be in this fucking town for weeks watching you two. There’s nothing I want more than to end you both. You’re the only one I’ve been ordered to deliver alive, but I’m thinking she’s a great way to control you. Now—get the fuck in.”

The trunk had been unlatched already, and Raid lifted the lid, eyeing the interior dubiously. He wasn’t sure he’d even fit.

His thigh throbbed where he’d been shot. Raid didn’t think his femoral artery had been hit, but he was still bleeding profusely. “Let her go,” he pleaded, not ashamed at all to be begging this monster. “She has nothing to do with this. Garcia wants me, not her.”

“Get in,” the man repeated.

With literally no other choice, Raid did as ordered. His mind spun, attempting to figure out his options. His friends were all out and about looking for Duke. Surely they’d have heard about the call to the diner, or would at some point. They’d find him, he knew it with every fiber of his being. But would it be in time?

As soon as he was lying awkwardly inside the trunk, the man shoved Khloe hard. She went down to the gravel on her hands and knees, and he swung his foot, kicking her in the side. “Now you. Get in.”

“What? No!” Raid exclaimed.

The man merely pointed his gun at Khloe again. “Get in or you’re dead.”

Khloe moved quickly, getting to her feet and approaching the trunk. She didn’t hesitate, lifting a leg over the bumper and climbing into the tiny space with him.

Without another word, their captor reached out and slammed the lid, shutting him and Khloe into the pitch blackness.

Raid could hear Khloe breathing too hard and too fast. He did his best to wiggle around to give her some more room, but it was no use. There wasn’t a spare inch in the trunk.

Wrapping an arm around her, Raid pulled her against him. She managed to turn so they were face-to-face. Their legs were intertwined and every time she moved against him, fire shot down his leg from where he’d been shot. But Raid ignored the pain. It was the least of his worries at the moment.

The vehicle started and began to move. He could feel Khloe crying against his chest and every tear felt as if it burned his skin as they soaked into his shirt. He’d done this. This was his fault. She was in this situation because of him.

They both jerked in surprise when loud music suddenly filled the trunk. The man driving had put on some heavy metal and turned the volume up as loud as it could go. Raid’s head immediately began to throb.

He felt Khloe take a deep breath. Then another. Then she shifted, and he felt her lips first against his cheek, then his ear. “Is there an emergency release lever?” she practically yelled.

She’d gotten control over her emotions, and Raid couldn’t have been prouder.

“I don’t know,” he replied, hoping she could hear him.

She apparently did, as she wiggled around, turning so her back was to his chest once more and doing her best to feel all around them. Newer cars were made with a glow-in-the-dark release in case kids got stuck in a trunk, but no matter how hard they fumbled around in the dark, they couldn’t feel anything that might help them escape the dire situation they’d found themselves in.

Raid tried to pry off the back of the taillight, but found it had been screwed in with some heavy-duty hardware. The man who’d forced them into the trunk had definitely planned this abduction.

Khloe turned again, and Raid was impressed she was able to maneuver at all. When he felt her hand on his thigh, he jerked and couldn’t stop the loud curse that left his lips when she found where the bullet had entered his leg—and clamped down hard.

“Sorry,” Khloe said over the music, but she didn’t let go.

To distract himself, Raid did his best to try to figure out what direction they were being taken. They’d turned right out of the parking area, toward Fallport. They’d slowed down a few times and stopped once, probably at the stoplight on the edge of town, before accelerating onto what Raid knew had to be the road that led toward the interstate.

Fuck, the asshole had driven straight through Fallport. Probably right past people who were looking for Duke. Past their friends.

The music was a smart touch. He and Khloe couldn’t exactly communicate effectively, and if they pounded on the trunk or yelled for help, no one would hear them.

Raid clenched his teeth as Khloe did her best to examine his leg through touch. Even with the cramped space and darkness, she was extremely efficient. He had no idea what she was doing, but eventually, he felt something tighten around his leg.

A tourniquet. He realized it was his belt. The wound was so painful, she’d taken off the belt without Raid even realizing it.

He needed to pay far better attention to what was happening. He’d spaced out because of the pain, and the damn throbbing in his head to the beat of the music thumping all around them, but if he was going to think of a way to get them both out of this alive, he needed to concentrate.

It was several moments before Khloe scooted forward and he felt her lips against his ear once again. “That will stop the bleeding, but if we remove it, it’ll start again. I have no idea what your leg looks like. Until I get some light, I won’t be able to tell what we’re dealing with. I don’t know if this is good or bad news, but there’s no exit wound.”

Raid nodded, the gun was probably a smaller caliber since the bullet didn’t go all the way through his leg. He wasn’t thrilled about the tourniquet, but the alternative was losing so much blood, he would be completely useless to defend himself or Khloe.

“What are we going to do?” she asked.

Raid stiffened. He’d been dreading that question. He honestly wasn’t sure what they could do. And he didn’t think she’d want to hear the only answer he had—wait and see.

“Raid?” she asked.

Raid wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as he bent his head so he could speak directly into her ear. “I don’t know, Khloe. God, I wish I had a better answer for you, but I don’t. We have to wait and see what this asshole has planned for us and go from there. But if you have a chance, you need to run. Get as far away from me as you can.”

He felt her stiffen against him and knew without her having said a word that she wasn’t happy with that plan.

“I know. It sucks. But that asshole wasn’t wrong. The only reason I got in this trunk is because he was threatening you. If you aren’t around, he can’t use you against me.”

She trembled, and he felt her lips move against his throat.

“I hate this.”

He could easily read her lips.

“I know.”

They lay against each other for what seemed like forever, but was probably only about twenty minutes or so. They seemed to still be headed east. They should’ve reached I-81 by now, but they hadn’t turned north or south as far as Raid could tell. So that meant they were likely headed for the coast. In the direction of Norfolk.

More time passed. It could’ve been an hour, it could’ve been six. In the pitch black of the trunk, it was impossible to tell. Raid was sure every minute probably felt like an hour as his mind raced, creating and discarding scenarios for when they were finally released from the trunk. But he knew no matter what he devised, all it would take was another gun pointed at Khloe’s head for any plan to go to hell. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—risk her life.

As he wondered yet again how long they’d been in the car, music blasting through his skull, something occurred to him. He squeezed Khloe. “Hey!” he shouted in her ear. “Are you wearing your watch?”

She nodded against him.

“You can make calls from it…right?”

Her head came up so fast, she almost knocked into his chin. She thrust her arm between them. A small light glowed from the face of the smartwatch. Not enough to illuminate the interior of the trunk, but enough that they could both read the display.

Raid was shocked to see that nearly three hours had passed since their abduction.

“Oh my God, yes! Why didn’t I think of that?! I don’t need my phone to make a call! I thought it was an unnecessary expense to buy the cellular version instead of the wi-fi one, but it’s come in handy when I’m working. I don’t have to stop and find my phone to respond to texts or calls!”

She was babbling, but Raid didn’t blame her. He could only hear every other word or so because of the blaring music, but he understood what she was saying.

“Who should I call?”

“Rocky,” Raid said without hesitation. Any one of his friends would move heaven and earth to help him and Khloe, but Rocky had heard the entire story of what happened with Garcia all those years ago. Yes, he’d explained the situation to all the guys, but he and Rocky had a more in-depth conversation about Garcia when Khloe had asked him to come to his house to talk.

“Call Rocky,” Khloe said after hitting a button on the phone—but nothing happened.

“Try again,” Raid urged.

She did, with the same result. “The music’s too loud. It can’t pick up my voice.”

“Take a breath, Khloe. It’ll work. It has to.”

She did, and this time before she hit the button to activate the computer chip to dial a number, she took the watch off her wrist. She cupped it in her hands between them, then dipped her head.

Raid couldn’t hear her say the command to call Rocky this time, but apparently it worked, because her head came up and she held the watch up against Raid’s ear.

He didn’t know if this was going to work or not. The music was so loud around them, he wasn’t sure Rocky would be able to hear a word he said. But the fact that a call was coming in from Khloe’s phone with such loud music on the other end should clue him into the fact that something was very wrong.

“Khloe? Where are you?”

As soon as he heard Rocky answer, Raid brought Khloe’s hand down to his mouth. She understood and cupped her hands around it as he prayed his friend would be able to hear him.

“This is Raid. Khloe and I are in a trunk of a white Oldsmobile. We’re using Khloe’s smartwatch to call. Garcia’s man got us and we’re headed east. Call Tex to track us. I’ve been shot, but for now the bleeding’s under control. Whatever happens, make sure Khloe’s safe.”

He brought Khloe’s hand back up to his ear and strained to hear anything on the other end. But all he heard was the screaming of what apparently passed for music as it echoed around the trunk.

“Did he hear you?” Khloe asked.

Without a word, Raid picked up her hand and wrapped the watch band around her wrist. He wasn’t sure if Rocky had heard a damn thing. He hoped and prayed he’d heard enough to know something was very wrong. He trusted Rocky. He’d get with the others and they’d use every resource to find them. Of that he had no doubt.

For now, all he and Khloe could do was wait. And try not to panic. They had no control over where they were going, over what would happen in the near future. They had to conserve their energy and be ready for when the car stopped. Because that was when the real fear would kick in.

Raid wasn’t looking forward to coming face-to-face with Pablo Garcia again, but in a way he was glad it was happening now, and he didn’t have to spend months, years, looking over his shoulder. His only regret was that Khloe had gotten swept up in the coming storm.

Taking a deep breath, Raid did his best to calm himself down. He needed to be at the top of his game if he was going to get Khloe out of this. He resigned himself to dying, but he’d do whatever it took to save Khloe’s life. If he could take Garcia out with him, he’d save Tonka and his new family from having to go through anything like this in the future.

Satisfied with his decision to sacrifice himself, even if leaving Khloe would be the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life, Raid held her even tighter. He was counting on his friends using their military skills and contacts to get to them, but if push came to shove, he was more than ready and willing to do what it took to rid the world of the evil that was Pablo Garcia. One way or another.

* * *

Rocky looked up at his brother, Ethan.

“What? Was that Khloe? What’d she say?”

Rocky merely shook his head as his blood ran cold. Something was wrong. Very fucking wrong. When he’d seen Khloe’s number on his screen, he was momentarily relieved. Tal and Heather had gone out to the Eagle Point Trail parking area after hearing about the Duke spotting, and they’d found Raid’s Expedition—but no sign of Raid, Khloe, or the dog.

Their phones were still in the vehicle and the keys were in the ignition. Two very bad signs.

A couple of hikers had come off the trail while they were there, and they’d not heard anything unusual and hadn’t seen anyone else the entire time they’d been on the trail.

After quickly searching Raid’s house, Heather and Tal had called everyone else, and they’d all gathered at Rocky’s house, where they’d been ever since. They’d reached out to various locals to find out if anyone had seen Khloe or Raid.

The women were in the other room, stressing the fuck out, and Rocky and the rest of the team were trying to figure out their next steps. It was one thing for Duke to disappear, but now that Raid and Khloe were gone as well, they knew something bad had happened.

Rocky had been leaning toward the Mather brothers having something to do with whatever the fuck was happening, and they’d been planning a search for Jason and Scott so they could be interrogated, when Rocky’s phone rang.

When Bristol had been kidnapped, Rocky installed a recording app on his phone. He’d done it in case whoever had snatched Bristol called with a ransom demand, and he was never so glad as he was right that moment that he hadn’t bothered to delete the thing.

He fumbled a bit, trying to find the app and then click on the right buttons, but when he did, he took a deep breath and played the phone call from Khloe back to the five men standing anxiously around him.

All they heard was the loud sounds of some sort of heavy metal song playing.

“What the fuck is that?” Drew asked. “Is that supposed to be music?”

“Why would Khloe be listening to that? It doesn’t seem her speed,” Brock said.

“Wait, play it again, Rocky,” Zeke ordered. “And turn it up.”

Rocky pressed the volume button as high as it would go, then played the phone call he’d received once more.

“Again,” Zeke said when it cut off.

Rocky wanted to ask him what he was hearing, but he simply did as asked.

After a third replay, Zeke stood up. “We need to get this to someone. Someone who can strip out the music.”

“You hear something?”

“Yes. There’s a voice under there,” Zeke confirmed.

“Holy shit,” Tal said. “Is it Khloe?”

“I can’t tell.”

“Wait, how can Khloe be calling if we found her phone in Raid’s car?” Drew asked.

Everyone was silent a moment before Brock said, “Doesn’t she have a smartwatch?”

“Fuck! Yes. She does,” Ethan said. “Lilly was making fun of her for waving her arm around to trick the thing into thinking she was walking. I guess Khloe didn’t like that it vibrated every hour to let her know it was time to get up and walk, so she’d wave her arm around instead.”

“Can it be tracked?” Rocky asked.

“I don’t see why not. If it’s using cellular data, it should be pinging off cell towers just like a regular phone would,” Ethan said.

The men stared at each other for a heartbeat before they moved.

“I’ll call Tex,” Drew said.

“I’ll call Rex,” Ethan said.

“I’ll get a hold of Simon,” Zeke said grimly.

“And I’m calling Tonka,” Rocky told his friends.

“His partner from the Coast Guard?” Ethan asked.

“Yes. He told us what happened and why he got out of the Coast Guard, but we had a long conversation about the asshole who’d hurt him and his partners. If this isn’t the Mather brothers, Khloe and Raid are in deep shit. We have to warn Tonka that he could be in danger as well. Also, he may have a guess as to what Garcia might have planned. He spent the most time with the psychopath.”

“Let’s do this,” Ethan said in a clipped tone. “Raid’s always been there for us. No way in hell are we letting him or Khloe down.”