The line went dead. I set the receiver down.
“She’s coming here,” I told Holly and Aunt Inla, explaining what she’d told me. “But we don’t have time to wait for them to return.”
Aunt Inla paced the small kitchen, her expression furious. “We need a plan.”
“We have one.” I pointed to the note, my voice sharp. “I’m going to that location, and they’ll let Hail go.”
The thought of facing Will alone sent ice through my veins, but what choice did I have? Hail would do the same for me without hesitation.
“Not alone, you’re not.” Holly’s voice was firm. “We know they won’t let Hail or you go free. If you rush in, all you’ll do is give them a second hostage.”
“But if they see anyone with me?—”
“We won’t let them.” Aunt Inla’s eyes glinted with determination.
The bakery door chimed, and Jessi burst into the kitchen, still wearing her apron.
“I came as fast as I could,” she said, slightly out of breath. “What’s the situation?”
Rosey, Gracie, and Beth arrived within an instant of Jessi, also breathing hard.
“We followed her.” Beth nudged Jessi in the side with her elbow. “When we saw her face, we knew something horrible had happened.” She looked from me to Holly to Aunt Inla. “What’s up and what do we need to do?”
Rosey and Gracie nodded from beside her.
I stared at them, relief swirling through me. For so many years, I’d faced problems alone. The weight of their support nearly broke the dam holding back my emotions.
“Eighteen minutes before they hurt Hail,” I said, checking my phone again.
The words hung in the air between us. Twelve minutes to save the man I loved. The man whose gentle hands created beauty from clay. Whose quiet strength had become my sanctuary.
“We can’t wait for our mates,” Jessi said, confirming what we already knew. “It would take them at least thirty minutes to get back from the west side, even if we could reach them.”
Five females and a wolf stared at each other in the small kitchen, the reality of our situation hanging in the air. Will’s people had orchestrated this perfectly. They’d separated me from my protectors and created a diversion to draw away Hail’s brothers and the detective’s team, leaving me vulnerable and desperate.
But they hadn’t counted on orc mates.
“Where exactly is this place?” Jessi asked.
I spread the crude map on the counter, pointing. “Here, in the foothills. Maybe three miles northeast of town.”
My finger traced the route, and I tried not to think about what waited at the end. Hail bound and bleeding. Will with his cold smile and dead eyes. The men who threatened the future I’d only begun to imagine.
“I know that area,” Aunt Inla said. “From what I heard when we first arrived, there’s an old mining operation there. It’s been abandoned for a very long time.” She frowned, tapping her chin. “I think there’s only one road in, and the area is overgrown, surrounded by forest.”
“They’ll be watching that road,” Jessi said.
“We’ll go a different way.” Rosey traced a path on the map with her finger. “I think there’s a deer trail that cuts through here. It would bring us to the back side of the camp.”
“We’ll need sorhoxes. Weapons,” Gracie said matter-of-factly.
Jessi swept her hand to the island. “Kitchen knives will do for the latter.”
“My rolling pin’s heavy oak and good for more than just rolling out dough,” Holly said.
A smile flickered across my face despite everything. “You’re all out of your minds, you know that? These men are dangerous.”
“So are we,” Aunt Inla grunted. “Especially when someone threatens one of our own.”
