He lifted his Glock, and the second Noah parked the car, he was out.
“We approach the toolshed from different directions,” Jesse said, once he and Claudia joined them. “Claudia and I will go from the east and you two go from the west.”
They all nodded.
Jesse met Colt’s gaze. “We only shoot to save Indie’s life. Understood?”
Noah nodded.
Colt’s jaw clenched; he didn’t want to promise anything. He wanted the asshole dead. He wanted to make sure, with absolute certainty, that the man could never hurt a member of Colt’s family again.
But he nodded anyway. They didn’t have time to argue.
“Good.” Jesse stepped back. “See you in a few minutes.”
Colt turned and ran, sprinting through the trees. He’d already studied the map. He knew exactly where to go.
His feet sank into the dirt, the moon casting a dim glow over the path ahead. He pushed himself to move fast, feeling the air whip across his skin.
He let his mind go blank from everything except reaching her. Saving her. Getting her home.
When the shed came into view, he forced himself to slow. He crept through the trees, and when he saw the entrance…he frowned.
The door was open. Why? Had they left?
He crouched low and inched forward, Glock firmly in his hold and close to his body. Noah moved behind him, his steps just as silent as Colt’s.
When they reached the shed, Colt stood beside the door and listened. Silence. Then he spun around, Glock pointed.
But there was no one inside. It was empty. Indie wasn’t here. Gordon wasn’t either.
His eyes narrowed when he spotted blood on the floor. Hers or his?
Noah stepped in behind him. “She escaped.”
It sure as hell looked like it. But where had she gone?
They stepped out.
“She’s not inside?” Jesse asked, as he and Claudia jogged toward them.
Colt shook his head. “Someone was hurt. I’m hoping Indie broke free and hurt him. But if she did, Gordon will be angry. Probably angry enough to kill.”
“So we find them fast,” Jesse said. “We split up and we search every inch of this forest until we find them.”
“Blood looked fresh,” Noah said. “They can’t have gone far.”
“Good.”
Colt scanned the trees closest to the shed. She would have wanted the shelter of those trees as fast as possible. “I’m going this way.” He didn’t wait for a response, just started moving. Running. Sprinted through the forest to search for her.
A gunshot cracked through the air. His heart jumped into his fucking throat.
Indie.
He sped up, closing the distance between him and where that noise had come from. When he reached the cliffs, he frowned. Where was she? He looked over the edge.
Clear. Thank God.
