20. Into the Gray

20 INTO THE GRAY

Koen

The smug bastard had the audacity to look confused, even wrinkled his forehead as if he had no idea what I was talking about. Too bad he wasn’t as good of an actor as he thought. He gave away his guilt when his eyes flashed to the idiot struggling with a member of my brother’s team. The one with the scar through his eyebrow. He was next.

“I asked you a question, Macha. Where is she?”

“Stand the fuck down, Koen.”

Ignoring Riley, I twisted my hand back and forth, digging the barrel of the gun harder into his skin. His lips twitched, otherwise, his face remained stony. I wouldn’t pull the trigger. Death was too easy for someone like Victor Macha. But I needed him to believe I’d gone feral; become a raging lunatic, even if the opposite were true. I was in complete and total control. In fact, I never had a firmer grip on reality.

“Brother, we don’t have time for this.” Riley laid his hand over mine, curling his fingers around the gun. “Neither does Jade. He’s not going to talk. ”

Dammit.

We were out of options. “We need Jett to narrow down the signal.”

“I’ll make the call,” he agreed.

Stepping back, I kept my weapon leveled on my target until he’d been placed in handcuffs. Riley’s team wasn’t gentle either. They yanked him from the couch and slammed him face-first into the floor. I almost smiled when the smug look was wiped from his face as the hard metal bracelets snapped into place around his wrists. With him properly restrained, I made my way across the room to the only other person who could give me answers.

I squatted down in front of Sweets, tipping my head toward his swollen nose. Faint bruises had already begun to form under both his eyes. That’s when I smiled. She broke it. “My wife nailed you good.”

“Fuck you,” he sneered.

“You’re not my type.” I was a man possessed by a dark-haired angel. I’d do anything for her. Even make a deal with the devil. “You’re also not very smart. We’ve got you on video. Tell me where she is and I’ll talk to the prosecutor; tell them you were coerced.”

“No one coerced me to do shit, pig . And she may have gotten in a few licks, but I’ll teach her who’s boss later.”

There it was. Proof of life. Wherever she was, they’d kept her alive. It was also proof this guy was a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Since he’d already been read his Miranda rights, that little utterance would be admissible in court. If I had more time, who knew what else I’d be able to get him to confess.

“Koen?” Jett’s scared voice suddenly came over the comms unit in my ear.

“Hey, kid. You’re up.” I rose to my feet .

We’d tried the legal route. Unfortunately, the best Riley’s people could do was narrow the signal down to a five-hundred-yard radius, which wasn’t good enough. We needed her exact location, and the only way to get it was by sliding in through the back door. Since the SFPD didn’t have a genius hacker on their payroll, it was a damn good thing the FBI had two. Well, technically only one, but who was counting when you stepped over the white line into the gray.

“I’m ready. I’ve got Nelson on speakerphone in case I need his help.”

“You’ve got the GPS coordinates from the phone in my pocket, Jett. Tell me which way to go.”

Having thoroughly cleared the remainder of the buildings surrounding the main house, the second team entered the residence with three more in cuffs. All in all, seven men were taken into custody, including Macha. Riley ordered two officers to stay behind while the rest of us spread out to search the grounds in groups of three. Even though I had full confidence in Jett’s abilities, I wasn’t taking any chances. Not with my Angel.

Moving outside to the porch, we waited. I could hear the clacking of Jett’s keyboard through the earpiece, so when it stopped, I braced. Riley handed me a flashlight, then we both took off in a jog when he said, “Head northwest, toward the lake.”

The other three teams split off as soon as we entered the woods, spreading out on either side of us in a straight line to conduct a grid search. Beams of light rapidly waved back and forth as we looked for any disturbance in the path ahead, any indication someone had been through there recently.

“Broken limbs.” Riley pointed in front of us .

I didn’t slow down to look. Neither did he.

Sweat dripped down my face and back from the grueling pace I’d set. We’d been running for more than a mile, maybe two.

“Fifty feet, Koen.” There was trepidation in his teenage voice.

“You’re doing great, kid,” I offered, slowing my steps.

“There’s nothing here.”

We’d entered a clearing of sorts, but Riley was right. There was nothing. Less than nothing. I’d expected to find some other outbuilding or a shack. Anything where they could’ve been holding Jade. I turned around in a slow circle. She was close dammit. I could feel her.

“Jett, are you positive we’re in the right place?” my brother asked gently.

“Captain Banks,” one of the officers shouted. “Over here.”

Rushing toward his voice, I skidded to a stop and looked at the spot on the ground where his flashlight pointed. Mounds of freshly disturbed earth piled up in an area so large it was meant to cover something.

Or someone.