The second Cal and Alena slid into their SUV, she pulled out her phone and punched in the address Isla had sent. “Got it,” she said, shoving the GPS between them. Cal fired up the engine and peeled out of the lot, the cruiser falling in behind.
As the road opened up, Alena swiped through her screen, pulling up old satellite shots and tagged images of the ranch land. “There’s no house left,” she said, zooming in on the collapsed outline of a roof, now nothing but a dark scar on the ground. Her chest tightened as she flicked to the next frame. “But there’s a barn. Last images posted are from over a year ago.”
Cal’s hands flexed tighter around the wheel. “Barn’s enough. If they’ve got her out there, that’s where she’ll be.”
Alena swallowed hard, staring at the faint image of the old barn. She prayed he was right.
The SUV ate up the miles, the cruiser’s lights flashing faintly in the rearview. Alena kept her phone in her lap, her fingers moving fast over the screen. “Let’s see who owns this place.”
She scrolled, tapped, waited for the spotty reception to catch up. “It’s in foreclosure. Been that way for a while.” Another swipe, another pause. Then her pulse jumped when the next detail came up. “It used to belong to Keller’s uncle. He passed a couple years back.”
Cal let out a low curse under his breath. “That makes sense. Keller would know the place. He’d know it was sitting empty.”
Alena’s throat tightened as she stared at the blurred aerial image of the barn. “So Melissa’s abductor could’ve brought her here because of that. But was it Dexter?” She shifted her gaze to Cal. “Or was it another hired gun Keller brought in?”
The weight of the question sat heavy between them. Either way, Melissa was caught in the middle.
The SUV carried them through the outer edge of Rock Canyon, and Alena felt the town give way to open country. No businesses out here, no gas stations or stores, just long stretches of ranch land. Weathered fences sagged against pastures gone to seed, and the houses that dotted the landscape were few and far between.
Cal turned onto the dirt and gravel road Isla had flagged. The tires crunched over rock and dust, each bump and rattle grinding into Alena’s nerves. She kept her eyes on the trees crowding close to the narrow road, their twisted branches throwing jagged shadows across the windshield. A broken section of fence lay half toppled, wire curling like rusted claws.
The drive felt longer than a half mile. Every second stretched. Alena’s pulse ticked hard in her ears, waiting for movement in the trees, for the crack of gunfire, for any sign of Melissa.
Then the barn came into view. The roofline sagged, its paint long faded, but it loomed solid and dark against the pale dirt. Cal slowed, easing the SUV to the shoulder.
He cut the engine. “We’re not driving in there. Too much noise, too much risk. If Melissa’s inside, we can’t spook them.”
Behind them, the sheriff’s cruiser rolled to a stop. Gravel scattered under its tires. Raines stepped out, his figure tense, scanning the tree line as though he, too, expected trouble to break at any second.
Alena’s hand hovered near her weapon. Whatever waited in that barn, they were close enough now to feel it pressing against their skin.
She raised the binoculars, her elbows braced against the dashboard to steady her hands. The barn sat silent in the distance, its wide doors closed, its walls weathered and gray. No figures moved outside. No vehicle in sight either, though one could easily be tucked along the far wall, hidden by the overgrown weeds and trees pressing in around the structure.
She swept the glass lower, and her pulse spiked. “There,” she whispered. Inside the barn’s yawning shadow, she caught the glint of metal. A small travel trailer sat just past the threshold. Her gut tightened. “Melissa’s probably in there.”
Cal didn’t hesitate. He slid out of the SUV, checking his weapon. Alena followed, the weight of her own gun grounding her, her senses on high alert. Raines and Deputy Miller joined them, moving with a quiet efficiency that spoke of shared urgency.
Together they crossed the ditch and slipped into the line of trees. The air was sharp with pine and dust, every sound amplified: the crunch of boots on dry earth, the rustle of leaves as they pushed deeper into cover.
The barn loomed closer, the travel trailer a pale shape just visible through the shadows. Alena’s skin prickled with tension. If Melissa was inside, then so was whoever had dragged her out here.
And that meant they were walking straight into his trap.
They crept across the uneven ground, weeds and tall grass whispering against their legs. Every step felt too loud, too exposed, but Alena kept her focus pinned on the shadowy outline of the barn.
Then the sharp rattle froze them all in place.
Alena’s gaze snapped down. Just ahead, coiled tight and ready to strike, a rattlesnake shimmered in the patchy sunlight. Its head swayed, tongue flicking, the sound of its tail vibrating through the stillness.
Her instinct screamed to lift her weapon, but she clenched her jaw. One shot and whoever was inside that barn would know they were coming.
She held her breath. Cal did the same. Even Raines and Miller had gone statue-still, every muscle locked.
The rattle went on for what felt like forever, the tension stretching until Alena’s chest burned. Then, slowly, the snake uncoiled. It slithered away into the grass, its tail finally silencing as it disappeared into the weeds.
Alena let out the breath she’d been holding, her heart hammering so hard it made her palms slick against her gun.
Cal gave a sharp nod, and they pressed forward again, each step dragging them closer to whatever waited inside that barn.
