“Abandoned horse property in the middle of nowhere, making it nearly impossible for anyone to realize something’s going on? Sounds like the perfect spot for whatever the fuck he’s doing.”
“I agree.” I stepped harder on the gas, no longer caring if I was breaking the speed limit. “What can you tell me about the property? Where’s Ariana?”
“Right now, depending on the accuracy of the tracker?—”
“It’s fucking accurate. The margin of error is less than a foot.”
“It looks like she’s in the stables. West side of the property.”
“Send me everything you can. I’ll need to go in on foot, so the more I know about what I’m walking into, the better.”
“You got it, brother.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Henry
Darkness surrounded me like a thick blanket out here in the middle of nowhere. Even the moon and stars were hidden by heavy, ominous clouds, which did nothing to settle the unease filling me as I jogged through a field of sugarcane.
Blake was able to send me all the information he could find on the horse property where Ariana was taken. It had been on the market for about five years now. Thankfully, the listing had provided a fairly detailed schematic of the various buildings around the property. I decided the best thing for me to do would be to cut a path along the rear of the property and enter the stables that way. Yes, the place was abandoned, but based on how careful this guy seemed, I had to be prepared for the likelihood of some sort of security.
The air was thick with humidity as I moved through the night. Even thicker than it was earlier in the day. Sweat beaded on my brow, my t-shirt clinging to my skin. But I pushed onward, running as fast as I could while still reserving energy for whatever I may face once I got there.
This was one of the times I wished Blake were here. I’d briefly contemplated calling Gideon and asking him for help. But Imogene was days away from giving birth. He needed to be there for her. And his daughter.
Just like I needed to be here for mine.
And for Ariana.
I glanced at my phone, my pulse quickening when I saw how close I was to the tracker. Less than a tenth of a mile. Ariana was close. Close enough that I should have seen something by now.
A light. A building. Anything.
Instead, darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.
A knot tightened in my gut. Something felt…off. But I shoved the thought aside.
Like Blake said, this was the perfect place for…whatever it was he was doing with all the girls Victor sold him. Remote. Isolated. No one around for miles. And abandoned years ago. She had to be here.
I picked up my pace, pushing down the pain as the sugarcane scraped against my arms like thousands of tiny blades.
Every second that passed was another second Ariana was in danger.
Another second Sarah was in danger.
Another second I might be too late.
Finally, the wall of sugarcane broke apart, and I emerged into an open field, immediately dropping into a crouch to survey my surroundings. A cluster of buildings sat in the distance. Stables. Detached garage. Weathered farmhouse.
All exactly where Blake’s satellite images said they’d be.
For a brief moment, relief filled me. But the longer I assessed my surroundings, the more that uneasy feeling returned. The property wasn’t just quiet.
It was dead.
No lights glowed in the windows.
No car sitting outside.
