Another snort from Rocco.
“Then let’s go.” Luka looked like he didn’t believe her or Kane, and that he would soon call their bluff at Sumo’s gate to find out where his flash drive was located.
She stepped out the door, blinking against the bright sunshine belying her potential fate. She was still believing God for a miracle, as she had found no answer to her dilemma. None. Zip. Zilch.
Luka shoved Kane ahead. “Get her inside.”
“My pleasure.” Kane pushed her down the dirt road toward the enclosure.
She dragged her feet, but he just shoved her harder, and she couldn’t stop her forward progress.
Unfortunately they reached the enclosure’s gate far too soon. Panic greeted her and took hold. She glanced back at Kane. “You could just give them what they want, and they would let us go.”
He scoffed. “Naive as usual, I see. They’re going to kill us no matter what happens, and this will buy me time to get away.”
She glanced through the metal to see Sumo at the back of the enclosure. He was crouched down in knee-high grass, his eyes ever watchful.
Kane unlocked the gate. Drew it open. Gave her a shove. She bolted backward. He shoved her again. Hard. She lost her footing and fell. Sumo raised his head.
She thought to get up.No.Stay low. Small. Be less threatening to Sumo. She crouched, ready to spring up ifneeded, and wrapped her arms around her body, ignoring the pain from her potential broken ribs.
Sumo stood. Locked those ferocious eyes on her and started forward.
Don’t panic. Stay still. And whatever you do, stay close to the gate so you can get out if it opens.
The vehicle was still rolling when Colin exploded out the door with a backpack full of surveillance gear. Dev charged after him, his rifle over his shoulder, ready to take Tarver out if needed.
Colin plunged into the ditch by the road and then back up, slowing when he got close enough to the property for his movements to be heard. He signaled for the others to be as quiet as possible from this point on, then crept forward until the house came into view. He stopped and got out the high-powered binoculars.
Lifting them, he ran the lens over the clearing, noting the same jacked-up pickup from the almost breach at their compound. “Same truck that I saw outside Shadow Lake’s gate holding the guy who tried to break in.”
“Can’t get a read on the plates,” Dev said from beside him. He’d dropped to his knees and was using the scope on his rifle to see in the distance. “But we can probably assume it’s the truck from the parking lot that Brooklyn got into too. No movement on the property, though.”
“They’re likely in the house,” Reid said catching up to them along with Nick.
Nick squatted and put his laptop on his knees. “Still no internet traffic, or network traffic for that matter, so if they’reinside, they’re not using the internet. And odd that there aren’t any surveillance cameras so far either.”
“He might not have had time to install them yet,” Reid said.
“He could have a second vehicle and not even be here,” Dev said.
“Nothing registered in DMV to the same name.” Nick suddenly grabbed his phone from his pocket. “Call coming in from Sierra.”
“Could be important,” Colin said. “Find out what she wants.”
“You have something for us?” Nick asked and listened. “Okay. Get them to my team to image, and I’ll be back as soon as possible to decrypt them.”
Colin looked back. “What is it?”
“Sierra was storing the black box in evidence and found a false bottom. Kane had taped two small flash drives to the lid. They’re likely encrypted, but my team will get started on imaging them right away, then I can work on cracking the encryption.”
“Could be what we need to put him away,” Reid said.
“That’s all well and good, but first we have to find him and get Brooklyn back.” Colin couldn’t sit here talking about evidence when Brooklyn could still need him. They had plenty of time to discuss that after she was free.
A low, threatening sound rumbled through the air.
“The jaguar?” Dev asked and mocked a shudder. “I’ve never heard one, but it sure sounded like a big cat.”
