Derek was first to peer around the corner of the structure, and his heartbeat ratcheted up.

Across the street, a couple hundred yards away a dark figure rose from a crouching position near the entrance of the warehouse where Maddie was supposed to meet the kidnappers. As the person stood, a long ponytail swung around her shoulders.

Maddie.

Before he could move or shout, she entered the building through the front door.

Holy hell. She went in.

His heart racing, Derek took a step.

Bear grabbed his arm. “It’s too late to go after her.”

“But we have to stop her,” Derek said, straining against the hand holding him back.

“Follow the plan.” Bear said. “We’ll get her out.” He pointed upward. “We need your Eagle Eye up there. Cover our backs.” He gave Derek a shove toward the rear of the building. “Go. Find a way up. Let us know when you’re in position.”

After glancing once more at the door Maddie disappeared through, Derek straightened his shoulders and turned away. He jogged around the old, empty warehouse to the rear where he found a rusted fire escape ladder. The rungs were too high for him to reach. With a quick look around, he spotted a stack of wooden pallets. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and stacked the pallets beneath the ladder until he could reach the first rung. Then he climbed the fire escape all the way to the top of the building. Every minute counted. The sooner he took his position, the sooner the team could go in.

He took up a position where he could see the front and side of the target warehouse and set up his rifle. “I’m in position,” he said into his mic.

“Roger,” Bear said. “We’re going in.”

One by one, the three men and dog crossed the street and slipped along the south side of the building. Taz and Bear stopped at a side entrance. Kujo and Six continued until they disappeared around the back of the building.

Derek glanced up and down the street. “All clear,” he said into the mic.

Bear said, “Door’s locked. Use your weapon, silencer on.

Kujo confirmed. “Roger.”

“On three,” Bear said softly. “One…two…three.”

Derek held his breath, wishing he was with the team and afraid the noise would alert the kidnappers.

No sooner had Bear and Taz entered the building, then the popping sound of gunfire reached Derek.

He held his position when he would rather join the team inside the warehouse.

“You have to move, Janie. I didn’t come in here to leave without you.” Maddie grabbed Janie by the seat of her pants and dragged her toward the door.

“The women are escaping!” a voice shouted behind Maddie.

She turned.

A man ran toward her, waving a hand gun.

“Go, Janie,” Maddie yelled and shoved her sister toward the door. She rolled to her feet and braced herself for a fight or a bullet. Either way, he wasn’t getting her sister.

From the darkness, a flash of fur hit the man from the side, knocking him to the ground.

A large German Shephard pinned the gunman to the ground, growling.

A man raced up behind the dog. “Good boy, Six.” Dressed in black tactical gear, he carried a rifle. “Which one of you is Maddie?”

Maddie threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I am.”

“I’m Kujo, and this is Six,” he said. “We’re here with Derek.”

“Oh, thank God. Where’s Derek?”

“He covered outside, while we secured the building.”

“You took care of all the kidnappers?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, but there could be more on the way.”

She nodded toward the guy on the ground. “What about him?”

“You want me to shoot him?” Kujo asked.

“No, but, I don’t want him to get away.” She pulled zip-ties from her pocket and handed them to Kujo.

“You would have made a good Boy Scout.”

“I know. Always prepared.”

While Kujo bound the man’s wrists, Maddie secured his ankles.

Kujo turned back, pointing his rifle with its attached light to look into the smoky darkness. He signaled toward the doors, and then said, “Derek indicated the entrance you came through is clear. We need to move out. Bear and Taz are flanking us from the right and left. They found a few men, but we think they might have alerted more. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

Two men appeared out of the shadows, dressed similarly in black tactical gear.

The bigger man stepped forward. “Time to go.”

As they reached the exit, sounds of gunfire rang out in the street outside of the building.