My jaw clenched as my body and mind battled between relief that my son was alive and being mad as fuck that I could see how scared he was. With urgency racing through me, I somehow managed to quietly check to see if the window would slide open, only to find it locked.
Griffin didn’t move a muscle, and I struggled not to grab his attention right that second so that he knew I was there, but I needed to talk to the guys first to collaborate.
After taking a deep breath, I stepped away from the window toward Lyric, who was pressed against the house close by. It pained me and took everything inside me to tear my eyes off my son—even for a second—who lay curled in a ball on the bed, trembling.
Lyric cocked his head in question and nodded before I spoke softly into the comms to let the other guys know what I’d seen.
“I spotted Griffin in the farthest bedroom on the southeast corner of the cabin, with cream-colored curtains. Curtains that were left fully open, I will add.”
One of the men scoffed in our ears. It seemed to beamateur hour, but we were not taking any chances or cutting corners. Yeah, like idiots, they’d forgotten to shut them, but that had worked in our favor. I had eyes on my boy but fuck if it didn’t feel like a rhino had stomped on my damn chest.
“They weren’t completely stupid though, the window is locked,” I added with frustration. It would have been so much easier to have taken him out that way.
“Any chance Griffin can unlock it from the inside?” Gyth asked.
I let out a sharp exhale. “He won’t be able to reach it and attempting to move stuff to stand on is too big of a risk.”
“Copy that,” Gyth said.
Running my hand through my hair, I clenched the strands in my fist. “Guys, what’s the plan? My son is scared, and I can’t tell if he’s hurt. We need to get him out!” I used to be a patient person, but that changed after being captured, and even more so with a threat to my family.
I meant it when I said I’d get the job done, but I never claimed I would do it with the grace of a ballerina. I was fucking scared out of my mind for my son.
Before anyone answered, the sound of Sloane’s raised voice sent my pulse racing. I moved quickly, ducking to one side of the window to get another glance inside. Behind me, Kace quietly told the others to maintain their positions.
Griffin had sat up on the mattress, his knees pulled into his chest, and his arms wrapped around his legs. He was shaking his head, tears still streaming down his face, and Sloane was pissed. A tray she’d been holding suddenly crashed to the ground as she yelled again before storming out the door and slamming it shut.
“Fine, starve, you stupid brat!”
“Easy,” Lyric’s calm voice said, having heard Sloane.
The urge to slam my hand through the window was like a magnetic pull that I barely resisted. Tension tightened everymuscle in my body. I was getting a crash course in restraint—one I was struggling to maintain.
“Report,” Gyth barked.
“Sounds like Sloane is coming unglued,” Lyric told everyone. “Let's get in there.”
“The asshole is back in the house, but Kace just got a peek inside and doesn’t see anyone beyond the two we know of. We also have incoming—the Sheriff is here. Sit tight for a minute.”
Was Gyth fucking kidding me right now? Sit tight? I wasn’t going to sit around twiddling my thumbs forever.
Sloane was bad enough, but I didn’t want the fucker anywhere near him, and I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone else involved in this mission, even if Braxtondidknow them.
Not when it was the single most important mission of my life.
And that was saying something after my last one.
Memories of that time tried to surface, but I shoved them away. That was a tortured mission, but this time if things went bad, it could render my heart to stop beating.
Minutes passed before Gyth returned; my eyes never left my son. I couldn’t hear his sniffles, but I saw the trickle of tears bee-lining down his precious cheeks. I swear I felt every drop like a knife through my heart.
“Our plan has changed a bit. The Sheriff is on his way to you so he can keep eyes on Griffin while we go in.”
Anticipation surged through my veins. This was it; soon I’d have my son in my arms. But I was still uneasy about involving someone I didn’t know in rescuing my son. I also wanted to tweak the plan myself. The first I could do nothing about, but maybe I could convince the guys about the second.
“I need to warn Griffin,” I announced.
“Not too sure that’s a good idea,” Kace interjected. “Someone might catch you.”
