Quickly, I make a group chat with Eagle, Yak, and Talon.
Me
Press forward, stay silent, and don’t make yourself seen until necessary. Whoever is closest to the girls is the one responsible for getting them out.
I press send and pocket my phone.
“Ready?” Panther mouths to me.
I nod, and we press forward with Trout and Prairie trailing behind us.
When the clearing comes into view, my heart skips a beat. I almost trip over my feet, but Panther lays a steadying hand on my shoulder.
Maggie, Aspen, and Ashley are huddled together in the tall grass and wildflowers. If the situation were different, I would think they were just hanging out, maybe having a picnic, not being held hostage. My eyes move from them to Adlet and Caterpillar talking off to the side.
They aren’t paying attention and have no idea that they are completely surrounded.
Briefly, my eyes move back to my Aspen and then Ashley.
My sister.
My twin sister.
What the fuck is she doing here?
We knew about Maggie and Aspen, but we never even thought about Ashley.
Fuck.
This is why I didn’t want her to hang around. I knew it wasn’t safe.
But you’ve enjoyed spending time with her and getting to know her again, a little voice in the back of my mind reminds me.
Panther squeezes my shoulder, grounding me in the present.
“Adlet,” I say as I step forward, gun trained on him.
Both men turn. Adlet smirks when he sees us, but Caterpillar takes a step back, almost as if he’s afraid.
“I was wondering what was taking you so long,” Adlet says.
“Let them go,” I tell him as I carefully step forward.
Adlet laughs as he turns to face me. “What are you going to do about it, huh? You are a cop. Tell me, did you call this in? Are your little piggies rushing in to save the day?”
“I didn’t call anyone,” I tell him honestly as I work my way closer.
“Really? Has the cop turned sides? Tell me, what are you going to do?”
“This.” I place my gun back in the holster and lunge.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
ASPEN
One second, Adlet and Asher are trading insults. Adlet is calling Asher a traitor while Asher is telling Adlet exactly what he thinks about who he is as a man.
