Gray held himself tightly in check, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
“I can’t pinpoint his exact location,” Rusty said. “Travis, want to draw his fire?”
“You got it.”
About twenty feet away, something rustled, then Travis shot up, and ran a few feet before falling once more. Gun fire followed, then a pain-filled scream filled the air
“Got the bastard,” Rusty said with satisfaction.
Gray cautiously stood then moved forward. He followed the sound of the pain-filled cries. As he drew closer, he spotted someone the ground, rolling around. He moved over to him, then crouched and ripped off the mask the man wore.
“Is it him?” Travis asked, coming up next to him.
Gray pulled off his night-vision goggles and glared down at the bastard. “Yeah, it is.”
Alan Stone yelled with pain. Gray stared down at him in disgust. “Asshole.” He kicked his side. The man groaned.
“Go on,” Marc said, striding towards them. “Find Lacey and Rory. I’ll take care of this fucker.”
***
Lacey pulled at the cuff around Rory’s ankle. No movement. The other woman winced and she knew she was causing her pain. She looked at the other end of the chain but it was attached to the floor with a solid-looking bolt.
How the hell was she going to undo that?
“You should just go without me,” Rory said tiredly.
“I’m not leaving you,” she told her fiercely. She wasn’t going to fail again.
“If I can’t get you free then I need to find some way to protect us until help can get here.” She started searching through the sparse cabin. This room had probably been the living room once. Now it was dark and damp, reeking of pain and suffering.
She moved into the rundown kitchen. She pulled open drawers, searching for a weapon. Finally, she found a large carving knife. It looked a little dull but would have to do.
She rushed back into the room and stood in front of Rory. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you.”
The other woman wrapped her hand around Lacey’s ankle and gently squeezed. It gave her an added boost of confidence, which she badly needed.
The door to the cabin started to open, and she tensed, adrenaline pumping through her. This was it. It was up to her. As a large figure appeared in the doorway, she didn’t think, she charged.
Gray stared as Lacey charged towards him with a furious yell, a huge knife held high in her hand.
“Lacey! Lacey, its me.” He dodged to the side to avoid her as she swung out. “Lacey! Stop!”
She froze, staring at him, and he wasn’t sure she actually saw him. Then she dropped the knife with a clang.
“Gray?”
“Yeah, baby, it’s me.” He moved towards her slowly, not wanting to scare her. Fury filled him at the terrified look in her eyes. “You’re okay now. You’re okay.” He reached out and touched her arm, and she crumpled against him.
“You’re okay. I’m here now.”
***
An hour later, Gray held his sister’s hand as she was loaded into an ambulance. “Don’t leave me,” she said tearfully, looking smaller and more vulnerable than she had in a long, long time.
“I won’t,” he told her. “I’m coming in with you. Just let me check on Lacey first.”
Her good eye widened, and she nodded before wincing. That asshole, Stone, had done a real number on her. She’d been beaten, starved, and abused. Gray curled his hands into fists. He should have done more than just kick him. He hoped the bullet wound Rusty had inflicted was damn painful.