The rain-slicked road stretched out in front of them, leading to Dry Creek and to whatever truths or dangers waited inside that decaying church school.
The storm beat against the windshield, wipers working furiously as Garrett guided the SUV down the dark stretch of road. The console lit up with an incoming call, and Garrett tapped it to speaker.
“McCall,” Sheriff Raines’ voice came through, roughened by static. “I’m on my way, too. Just tried calling Randall and Paula. Neither picked up.”
Garrett’s jaw flexed. “What about Anais?”
“She answered,” Raines said, a pause heavy on the line. “Told me she was home, but I’m not sure I buy it. Sounded to me like she was outside in the storm.”
Isla twisted in her seat, meeting Garrett’s eyes. “If she’s out, then maybe she’s heading to Dry Creek, too.”
Raines grunted. “Wouldn’t surprise me. And if her militia friend is with her, that ups the stakes.”
“Then she knows about Harris,” Garrett said, voice low.
Isla leaned forward, the hum of worry cutting through her. “But what’s her play? If she’s figured it out, does she want to silence him so he can’t implicate one of her parents? Or does she think he’s leverage?”
“Could be either,” Raines replied. “Or both.”
The SUV rolled to a stop on the cracked asphalt road just shy of the ghost town. The storm gave them a mini break. The rain was still coming down but at least not in sheets. The clouds pressed low, and the air carried that damp, electric weight of something about to break.
Isla popped on the night-vision goggles and scanned the darkness. The outlines of sagging storefronts appeared in ghostly green, empty windows like watching eyes. Her heart pounded as she swept the area. Nothing moved. No figures. No glint of weapons.
Only silence broken by the occasional splat of rain on the windshield.
“There,” Garrett whispered, nodding toward the hulking shape of the school. The roofline leaned but still stood, and the wide front door hung open.
A knot pulled tight in Isla’s stomach. “No vehicles.”
“He could’ve parked around the side,” Garrett said, his voice barely audible.
Her gaze lingered on that open door. The yawning dark beyond looked like an invitation, or a trap.
Headlights flashed behind them, then cut away. Cal and Jackson eased in, their SUV pulling up without sound except for the crunch of tires on grit. A moment later, Raines’ vehicle slid in after them, headlights also dying.
The night settled heavier.
Isla’s phone buzzed. Cal had sent a joint text.Jackson starting the scan. Will update with heat signatures.
She swallowed hard, hands tightening on her lap. Every nerve in her body told her to run straight to that open door, to Harris. But if there was more than one heat source inside, it wasn’t just him waiting.
The minutes stretched long, every drop of rain against the windshield loud in the silence. Then Jackson’s voice came through the comms. “Only one heat source inside the school. Nothing else within fifty yards.”
Isla let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, but tension still strung tight in her chest. One person. That could mean Harris. Or bait.
Her phone buzzed again. Garrett had dropped into the group text.Switching to comms. Raines, grab a pair from Cal. We move in closer, take a look at who’s inside.
Isla’s pulse jumped. She didn’t wait. “I’m going with you,” she said, already slipping the earpiece into place.
Garrett gave her a look through the dark that said he’d expected nothing less.
Raines and his deputy climbed out, moving to Cal’s vehicle to grab the extra sets. Cal himself adjusted the strap of his rifle across his chest, nodding once. “We’ll back you up.”
“And I’ll stay here,” Jackson’s voice crackled again, steady and calm. “I’ll keep the feed going and monitor movement.”
Isla wiped damp hair back from her face, her fingers trembling with anticipation. The open door of the school seemed to stare straight at her, daring them closer. She glanced at Garrett. He was already moving.
And she fell in step with him.
