Levi hands the trauma kit to my dad and hops to his feet, following Walker to my truck.
I squeeze Javier's hand one last time. “You hold on,viejo.”
He doesn't answer. I don't know if he hears me.
I can only pray he does.
At the house, the front door slams against the wall as we rush inside. Walker heads straight for the office while Levi and I follow close behind. Walker wakes the computer and opens the security program.
My pulse pounds loud enough to drown out everything else.
The loading screen feels endless.
“Hurry,” I mutter.
A lifetime passes before the feed from the first camera appears.
Walker clicks the recording for camera one.
A timestamp glows in the corner, and Blake rides past on Shadow with Javier right beside her on Buck. Bear bounds happily through the snow, weaving between the horses.
All normal.
Walker drags the timeline forward, switching to camera two, further down the trail. Nothing but snow, trees, wind, and silence.
A minute later—Headlights. A dark pickup eases into frame.
Every muscle in my body locks.
Walker pauses the video.
Levi leans forward. “Back it up.”
The truck slowly rolls through the frame again. The windshield reflects too much light.
No license plate. No driver.
Walker lets the recording continue. The pickup disappears deeper into the ranch.
Nobody speaks.
Then the truck returns, driving back the way it came.
But it’s faster this time.
Much faster.
Walker immediately opens the ranch map mounted beside the monitor. He compares it with the camera locations. His finger traces one of the service roads.
“It never hit camera three,” he informs us.
Levi steps closer. “So it turned off.”
Walker nods. “It had to.”
He follows the road with his finger until it ends.
We know where the road dead ends.
