“Coming up on the screen now,” Ace stated as the larger television screen hanging on the wall buzzed to life.
The picture was divided up into squares containing views from each of the eight cameras they’d set up around the property earlier.Rocko scanned the screens, looking for anything out of the ordinary, hoping it was only a deer triggering the sensors.No such luck.
“We got two in sector four,” Apollo announced, and the screens homed in on that area.
“By the barn,” Frank confirmed.
They watched as two masked individuals crept past the backside of the barn before hunkering down in the tall grass, watching the house.Lying in wait for the family’s return.They were armed.
“Assholes,” Damon growled.“Think they can walk right up and do whatever the fuck they want.”
“Find their vehicle,” Apollo ordered.
“On it,” Ace said.
“Would they take Asher?”Mary asked while holding her daughter closer to her chest.
Frank wrapped his arm around his daughter’s back.Rocko couldn’t imagine the hell the older man was going through watching his daughter and granddaughter being hunted.
“Maybe we should go into the kitchen and have a coffee,” Renee suggested, trying to calm an obviously terrified Mary.“Let them take care of this.”
Mary nodded numbly, and Renee ushered her and Asher out of the room.Rocko’s anger was bubbling up, and he was having a difficult time containing it.These people would harm a little girl because she was different.He’d see them six feet under before allowing that to happen.
Apollo’s hand brushed Rocko’s lower back, comforting him immediately.He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Got it,” Ace said.“It’s over on the adjacent side road, two clicks from the farm.”
“Hendrix,” Apollo said.“Would you be so kind as to make sure that vehicle doesn’t move?”
Hendrix smiled.“Gladly.”
“Blade, go with him.In and out fast.Keep your comms open,” Apollo ordered.“The rest of us, this is what we’re going to do.”
***
Griffin, Apollo, and Rocko sat in the diner across the street from the local garage in Ticonderoga.Jonesy, a man Griffin and Apollo had made friends with over the year that they’d been living here, owned the garage.It had been hours since the team had disabled Levy’s crew’s vehicle, and Ace had monitored a call for a tow truck to that location.Now, they waited for the flies to enter their web.
Rocko had to hand it to Apollo and Griffin; they’d spent a great deal of time fostering relationships with the townspeople.Everywhere they went, residents would stop to chat with them, and the pair seemed to know every person’s name.
Apollo checked his phone.“They should be here any minute.”
“If I can get close enough to their vehicle, I should be able to get a read on it.Best-case scenario, I have a chance to brush up against one of them.I might not get anything, but it’s worth a shot.”
“We’ll be able to ID the owner of the vehicle and, with any luck, use a tracker to track them down for a little visit in a couple of days,” Griffin said.
“Your job is to distract Jonesy while we have a look at their vehicle’s glove box,” Apollo said.
“Why doIhave to distract him?”Griffin asked.
“Because he has a thing for you,” Apollo stated.
Griffin didn’t deny it; he simply growled.Interesting, Apollo thought.
“What if the two goons don’t leave the garage while Jonesy fixes their car?”Rocko asked.
“Then we’ll figure it out as we go,” Apollo said.“Like we usually do, babe.”
Rocko couldn’t help but grin at the endearment.Apollo had done that a few times now, and he was enjoying the closeness.Though they hadn’t defined their relationship, Rocko was attached, and he knew it.
