No movement. No silhouettes. No sound.
Which meant nothing.
They reached their positions—Ranger to the left, Ben covering the rear, Duke at the front. He raised his hand, signaling them to hold.
Whatever waited behind that door had the potential to change everything.
CHAPTER
SIXTY-FOUR
Duke tested the door handle.
It was unlocked.
Caution shifted in his chest.
He eased the door open anyway.
There was no squeal, no protest from the hinges.
The air inside carried the scent of dust and dry rot.
Duke swept the beam of his light across the narrow space.
A table. Two chairs. Bare counters.
No trash. No personal items. No mess.
No life.
“Clear left,” Ben said.
Duke moved down the hall, shoulders tight, senses flaring.
Bathroom. Empty.
Bedroom next. The bed was made, the blanket pulled taut.
Ranger stepped up behind him. “Nothing.”
Duke stood and turned back toward the main room.
That’s when Ben went still. “Duke.”
He followed Ben’s gaze to the floor near the table.
A small black device sat in plain view.
Rupert’s SafeStride tracker.
Duke crouched and picked it up, careful not to smudge any potential fingerprints.
This meant Rupert had been here recently.
Or the person who took him had been.
Someone most likely had placed this device here to send a message.
