Deanna’s little accident couldn’t have come at a better time. She might see it differently, but at least she wasn’t in harm’s way. This trip and sending her away wasn’t about making her happy. If it was, then I sure as heck ain’t the one for the job. He’d done just about everything to make her hate him, and he wasn’t happy with himself for that. He knew what was at stake. He’d brought his team, his family, into something they hadn’t been asked to get involved in. Then again, it wasn’t always about being asked. The purpose might have altered, but the need had magnified.

There was so much money controlling both sides. That was why he surrounded himself with people who weren’t driven by it. If they were, they easily could be lured away and wouldn’t stay when they were outnumbered. His team was highly trained but bound by something the others weren’t. Loyalty. That’s what gave them the advantage. That’s what’s going to make us come out on top.

Some might think they treated this like a game. They were wrong, but life was filled with winners and losers. This mission, although self-assigned, wasn’t something they could afford to lose. If they did, they weren’t the only ones who’d pay the price. The remaining volunteers would be left defenseless and surely suffer the same fate the previous volunteers had.

Rafe didn’t care what it cost him; he needed to ensure their safety. He’d pulled in every available man on this one. If they weren’t here in Moreira, they were back in Rhode Island keeping an eye on both Melissa and Deanna. He was torn about where he was needed, but Moreira was about to become even more unstable. The goal was to cut off the funding and shake them up.

David’s voice came over his earpiece, “Spotted her.”

He knew exactly who David was talking about. “Where?”

“She’s standing with a man on the east side. He’s armed.”

Crap. That’s what he was worried about. He picked up his binoculars and scanned the area until he found the child. The man was holding Shadoa by the upper arm, and she looked as though she was in pain. Even from this distance, he could see the coldness in the man’s eyes. This man was no loving father.

“I’m clear,” David said with the target in sight.

All he needed to do was say the word and David would drop the guy in his tracks. There wouldn’t be a sound other than his dead body hitting the dirt. There was no doubt David would hit his mark. But that would scare Shadoa. None of them knew the relationship between her and this man. He didn’t appear to be a loving, caring father, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t scream if he was killed. The last thing they needed was the entire village coming out and Shadoa getting caught in the line of fire. No matter how good David was, at this distance there would be no way to guarantee her safety.

It was all about timing. If Rafe felt they had no other choice, he’d make the call and live with the consequences. “Hold.”

The man started dragging Shadoa toward a truck parked not far from them. If they left the village, that would provide the perfect opportunity to take the jerk out and retrieve Shadoa with the least amount of risk to her. Keep going. Just a little farther.

He opened the truck door, and Shadoa started pulling away. Rafe’s heart ached as he watched her flinging herself around, trying to drop to the ground to avoid getting tossed inside. The man raised a hand to strike her, but before he could, a woman ran out of a nearby house, rushed over, and grabbed his arm. The man let go of Shadoa and struck the woman, causing her to fall to the ground. Then he grabbed for Shadoa again, but she backed away from him. As he stepped forward, the woman lying on the ground wrapped her arms around his legs. She must’ve said something because Shadoa started running toward the woods. Run. Don’t look back. Just run.

“Josh, do you—?”

“See it. On it,” Josh replied.

Rafe knew Josh and the team with him would haul boots in the direction Shadoa was running. If she was able to get away, they needed to make sure she stayed away. Going back wouldn’t end well for her.

Although Rafe wanted to keep an eye on what was happening with Shadoa, he needed to watch what was going down in the village. There was a line right now they couldn’t cross. They knew their presence was known, but their numbers weren’t. Broad daylight wasn’t the time to go head-to-head with them. It would bring retaliation they weren’t prepared for. The volunteer camp wasn’t unprotected, but they sure as heck didn’t have the manpower to ensure they all made it out alive. He wasn’t willing to accept any more loss of life on their side. Not if I can help it.

The man kicked his legs free before raising his gun and pointing at her. Don’t do it. Don’t you dare do it. The woman might be lying on the ground but wasn’t giving up. Rafe could tell she was going to do anything she had to do in order to ensure Shadoa got away. No one had to tell him she was Shadoa’s mother. Her act of love said it all.

“I’m clear,” David said again.

“Hold,” Rafe said, knowing dang well what was coming next. His stomach was in a knot as the man put the gun in the woman’s face. He seemed to be yelling something, which brought people scampering out from their homes. They were far from showing any support for the woman. Now there were about twenty men with guns surrounding the area, warning off anyone who’d tried to interfere. The few women who had come out rushed back inside.

Rafe knew this was only a handful of the men they’d counted over the last few days. There was going to be bloodshed, and all Rafe and his team could do now was wait and watch.

He knew each member of his team was itching to pull the trigger and kill that evil rebel. But this wasn’t the first time they’d been in this situation. It was hard as heck to sit and watch. You felt helpless, but they each knew no matter what they did, it wouldn’t save the woman’s life. Nothing would at this point.

Rafe watched as the woman struggled to get up and face her attacker. Once she did, she stood up tall as though challenging him. Keeping the focus on her and not on Shadoa. Dang it.

“Package in hand,” Josh said, letting them know Shadoa was now in their care.

“Get her out of there now,” Rafe barked, knowing good and well what was about to happen. He was glad Shadoa wasn’t there to view it, but she was still within earshot of the sound, and it made him sick. She was young, but this was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. We know from experience.

The rest of the team prepared themselves for the inevitable. Helplessly, they were forced to quietly watch as the man raised his gun to her head and pulled the trigger. They heard the shot first in their earpiece as Josh’s picked it up, then the echo as it bounced off the surrounding hills. David didn’t need to report what they’d all just witnessed. A person gave their life to protect another. If there had been any way, Rafe would’ve traded places with her.

Rafe made choices that were anything but easy. This day was going to be yet another that would haunt him forever. But if he’d acted any differently, they’d have shown their hand and lost what advantage they had. He’d learned many years ago you couldn’t save everyone, but that didn’t mean you ever forgot the ones you lost. And I promise you. I’m not leaving Moreira until that evil rebel pays for what he did.

“What do you want to do?” David asked.

Rafe couldn’t voice what was running through every cell in his body. “They’ll be looking for her. We need to get her out of here.”

“Roger,” Josh answered. “Where to?”

He wanted to tell Josh to get her to the States, but he couldn’t afford to lose any of the team right now. It was only a matter of time before they decided to come knocking on the doors at the camp again. Rafe needed every man armed and ready. It was also time to have a sit-down with the volunteers. He hoped he could convince them to leave on their own accord. Because I hate to think you’ll all be leaving in pine boxes.

“Keep her with you,” Rafe said to Josh.

“Rafe, she’s freaking scared. She’s crying, and I don’t have a clue how to communicate with her.”

Gabe chimed in and translated a few words. “She said she is scared they are going to come after her. She asked if they killed her mother.”

It was painful knowing this young age girl already understood the reality of her life.

“I can’t tell her that.”

“Tell her you’re going to make sure she is safe just like De . . . like Alice.” Rafe hoped that would ease the child’s mind a bit since she’d taken to Deanna so easily. He listened as Gabe provided the words for Josh to repeat. Shadoa stopped crying, and Rafe asked, “What’s going on?”

Josh said softly, “She’s hugging me.”

None of the Turchettas were fond of hugging, yet he could hear how it was affecting Josh. They all could. After what they’d just witnessed, this moment brought what little comfort it could to them all. Rafe closed his eyes, wishing there had been a way to save them both. He knew dang well if he’d done anything differently Shadoa might have ended up like her mother. Each of his men was willing to give their lives to protect the innocent, but sometimes doing so meant having to do nothing. It was a difficult concept to swallow, but places like this didn’t run by the same values.

Rafe raised his binoculars again and saw the woman was left lying in the dirt as the man pointed toward the woods where Shadoa had run off to. He watched dirt kick up as they headed off in that direction, all heavily armed. “Josh, you’re about to have company.”

“Roger.”

They had no visual on Josh. The woodland was thick, which provided good cover but also made it impossible for snipers to be of any assistance. Dang it. The village sat smack in the middle, which left Josh and the four men on his team on their own. Move it, Josh.

“What do you see, David?” Rafe asked, hoping he had a view from his position.

“I can take them out before they enter the woods, but no visual on our guys.”

That brought them right back to where they’d been moments earlier. The only difference was Josh was not a defenseless woman. If confronted, his team wasn’t going down without one heck of a fight.

Five against twenty are not odds I like. And that didn’t take into consideration that they were traveling with a scared child.

“Gabe, tell me you have them on satellite.”

“Negative. They were there, and then they were gone.”

“What do you mean gone?” Rafe asked angrily.

“I’m telling you, I had the signal from Josh and his team’s phones, then all of a sudden they dropped.”

“All five phones?”

Gabe answered, “Yeah. Almost like they were being jammed.”

That wasn’t possible. Not with the technology they were using. Gabe was the best, and he knew ten different ways around whatever blocked them. They had to be missing something. Where the heck are you, Josh?

“Want my team to go in?” David asked.

“Hold positions.” The only protection the camp had at the moment, besides himself, was David and his four men. The volunteer camp would be sitting ducks if David’s team pulled out now. Another massacre, just waiting to happen. He had to trust Josh. Whatever caused him to go totally off the grid had to be truly important.

There wasn’t much he’d liked about Moreira before and even less now. He’d silently promised the woman who’d been killed that he’d keep Shadoa safe. When Josh said they had Shadoa and she was safe, it’d been a small victory amongst such violence. Rafe wasn’t sure how, but he intended to keep his word.

“David, you’re in charge.”

“Where are you going?” David asked.

“Stay focused on the task at hand. If they make even the slightest move toward the camp, blow the evil jerks to hades.” Where they belong.

“Roger.”

Gabe chimed in, “You really can’t be thinking—”

Rafe reached up and turned his earpiece off. He didn’t need to be told what a fool he was for going down there alone. This was his choice, his mission. They’d lost a sister already. There was no way he was leaving a brother out there. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself knowing he’d sent Josh and the others there. They were following my orders. Now it’s my job to make sure they all get back.

As he slowly made his way through the woods, he kept his gun cocked and ready. He knew he would need to shoot first and ask questions later. If they got a shot off before he took them out, it would be game over. Everyone would know Shadoa wasn’t in the woods alone.

Rafe heard the snap of a branch in the distance. Crouching down behind a bush, he saw two men approaching. Both had a weapon in hand and the look of pure evil on their faces. They wanted that girl badly. What for? She was so young. She was of no value to them. But then again, whoever she was she was important enough for a search party. One that didn’t have good intentions when they located her.

He could hear them speaking. Rafe turned on his earpiece and tapped it once, signaling Gabe to listen.

As Gabe listened, he translated to Rafe, “They said that witch was going to cost them a lot of money if they didn’t find her. That her family will not pay if they cannot prove she’s alive. The second man said if there’s no money, then they should kill her now and be done with it.”

Her family? No one in that village was going to pay a penny, so who were they talking about? He wished he could ask these two for more information but this wasn’t the ideal time or location for an interrogation. Besides, based on their conversation, they weren’t high enough on the ranking to have what information Rafe would require. They were just bastards who were willing to kill an innocent child over money. Rafe looked at them no differently than any wild animal out on the hunt. With spite and malice. Another place and he’d walk away, but right now these two were standing between him and where he needed to be. Raising his gun he aimed and pulled the trigger killing the first one instantly. Even before the second one could figure out what was going on, Rafe sent off another round once again hitting his mark.

Rafe scanned the area for anyone else close by. Confirming it was clear and he stood up and walked up to where the two men now lied. Crouching down he confirmed they were deceased. Looks like you won’t have to worry about money after all.

They were far enough away from the village but he knew they’d be found eventually. Rafe needed as much time as he could. Snapping some branches off the nearby bushes he covered the bodies just enough so you couldn’t see them from a distance. Two down, eighteen to go.

Very softly, Rafe said, “Gabe you know what you’re looking for.”

“A connection between Shadoa and someone with money.”

Gabe made it sound like looking for a needle in a haystack. Rafe’s gut told him it was a smaller list than that. “Look into the male volunteers.”

“I had already eliminated them. There wasn’t any man with a significant amount of money in the bunch.”

“Is that including the prior volunteers?”

“Yes.”

What the heck!? I know it’s linked somehow. Rafe wasn’t giving up. Maybe they were casting a net too narrowly. It might be time to expand their search criteria. “It might not be a volunteer’s money.”

“What do you mean?” Gabe asked.

“Look into the financials of all their family members. There’s something we’re missing.”

“It’d be a lot easier with a DNA sample from her. Maybe you should—”

“Do your job and let me do mine,” Rafe said gruffly as he once again turned off his earpiece. There was still a lot of ground to cover before he made it to Josh’s last known location. Let’s concentrate on keeping her alive, and then we’ll figure out what she has to do with all this mess.

Rafe encountered a few more of the men and avoided killing as many as he could. He would do whatever he needed, just like he knew Josh would. But disappearing so suddenly didn’t make any sense. He scanned the area. Where the heck are you?

He looked around for any sign that people had come through. There were several footsteps, but the prints weren’t the standard military boot. That meant they’d already searched this area. Hopefully, they came up empty-handed.

The prints went off in a direction he knew led to a dirt road on the other side of the hill. If they thought Shadoa was alone, it would be logical that she’d run that way for help. Josh, on the other hand, would’ve avoided any public area. He would’ve gone farther in and away from the village.

Rafe came upon some branches that were broken, pointing in one direction, made to appear that whoever had been traveling in that direction was in such a rush they didn’t think about the trail they’d left behind.

It was a game they’d played when they were young. Setting up false clues to lead someone in the opposite direction. Since there weren’t any footprints, he knew it had to be one person. Good thinking, Josh.

Rafe turned around and backtracked. Once again he stood right where the signal stopped. He had to have missed something. Then he saw it. Another bunch of broken twigs leading him forward. Turning around, he noticed several trees close together, thick with brush. He struggled but made his way around them. Bingo. On the other side was some sort of cave. Crouching down, he crawled inside and hoped it wasn’t filled with wild animals waiting to greet him. At certain points it became tight, and he needed to lie on his stomach and inch his way through. After a few feet it widened, and eventually, he could nearly stand up.

He tried his earpiece to let Gabe know what he’d found. Nothing. Then he opened his phone but had no signal. Well, we know why you dropped off the radar. Now all I need to do is find out where this leads.

Rafe used the light on his phone to guide his way. It seemed as though he’d walked for miles before coming to a point where he could see the light shining through the other side. That wasn’t the only thing either. He could hear rushing water. Rafe knew exactly where he was. At night, they’d made sure to become familiar with the surrounding area. There was a large waterfall on the other side of a hill. This cavern had to come out somewhere near that.

When he came to the end of the cavern, he was met by a wall of rushing water. It’d been a perfect hiding place because no one could see it from the other side. He stuck his hand through the wall of rushing water. Someone grabbed his wrist. Rafe yanked his arm causing the man to come crashing through the water, slamming directly into him, causing them both to fall backward onto the ground. Rafe’s gun had been knocked out of his hand during the struggle. He rolled over and pinned the man beneath him. He was about to smash the guy’s face, then stopped. Josh.

Although he was pleased to see his brother alive and well, he chewed his butt out. “What the heck are you trying to do, get yourself killed?” Rafe asked, getting off Josh while trying to catch his breath.

“Didn’t expect it to be you. I thought you said to hold positions,” Josh said as he too got off the ground.

“They are. I didn’t.” Rafe looked around then asked, “Where are the others and Shadoa?”

“There’s a small ledge to the left of the falls. It provides plenty of cover but allows us to see what’s happening around us. That’s how I knew we had company. Just didn’t realize it was you.”

“You’re lucky it was. How did you guys stumble across this place? If it weren’t for your clues, I’d never have seen it.”

Josh smiled. “You know that sweet girl you sent us to rescue?” Rafe nodded. “She seems to be doing the rescuing.”

“Shadoa?”

“Yeah. We might not speak the same language, but dang that girl knew trouble was coming and where to go. We’re just hanging here until dark.”

Rafe knew that meant she’d had to hide before. Ever since he put Deanna on that plane, he’d been trying to locate Shadoa. Had she been hiding all this time? Were they what spooked her out of hiding and back into the village? He kept ending up with more questions, and all of them seemed to revolve around someone they’d considered insignificant. Somehow Deanna didn’t.

Part of him wished he’d never bumped into Deanna at the cemetery. Another part knew it was a meeting that finally was going to put his questions to rest. Why here? Why Phoebe, and why the heck didn’t anyone help?

“You look like you’ve learned something that doesn’t make you happy. What is it?” Josh asked.

Rafe wasn’t going to share his thoughts about Deanna. They were only speculations, and he wasn’t sure why, but his judgment was a bit clouded when it came to her. He was going to wait for facts. If she was involved, there’d be a steep price to pay. If not, he’d do everything in his power to help her heal from her loss. Not that I’ve had any luck with mine.

“Seems that Shadoa is worth a lot of money to them.”

Josh arched a brow. “That kid? She doesn’t look like a rich man’s daughter. What did I miss since I went off the grid?”

Rafe spent the next hour filling him in and going back and forth on their theories. The only thing they seemed to agree on was protecting Shadoa had become a heck of a lot harder. Dang it. This is why I don’t make promises. In my line of work, they’re not easy to keep.

Once nightfall came, they left the safety of the cavern. There was no way they could take Shadoa back to the camp, because they probably used some of the local women who came to the camp as spies. Not because the women wanted to spy, but because not doing as instructed came with a deadly price.

Their backs were against a wall. Even though Rafe couldn’t afford to part with Josh and his team, there was no choice at this point. He’d made the only call he could and instructed Josh and his team to get Shadoa as far away from the village as possible before boarding the chopper. Without something more substantial to go on, there wasn’t a place in Moreira that Rafe felt Shadoa would be safe. Taking her to the States wasn’t a wise choice, but it had to be safer than keeping her in Moreira. Even there they’d need to keep a very low profile until they knew what and who they really were up against. Rafe was positive whoever they were had no issue taking the lives of innocent people. The list of despicable reasons behind such acts was endless. He was hoping Gabe or Renzo would have a solid lead soon, and they could finally take action. Playing the watching and waiting game was messing with his patience. Not that I have much to start with.

He wracked his brain, hating they were heading to the States. Rafe needed someplace private. A place no one would suspect they’d go. That required pulling in a favor.

Dialing the number, he reached out to someone he thought he wouldn’t be talking to again.

“Didn’t think I’d be hearing from you so soon. Coming back to Tabiq?” Alex Henderson asked.

“Not quite. I hear you have a small island that is . . . private.”

Alex laughed. “I guess not if you’re asking about it.”

“I need to borrow it.”

Alex must’ve been able to tell from Rafe’s tone that this wasn’t a joking matter. “We have been delayed building on it. There are no amenities. Consider it yours for as long as you need it. I just hope you like camping. I’ll text you the coordinates.”

They’d spent more nights than they could remember in places that made camping look like a luxury resort. The chopper had a well-stocked arsenal of weapons and supplies. They were ready for anything.

“Thanks.” Although Rafe had his hands full, he couldn’t forget what they’d left behind to go to Moreira, included his brother. “How are things going in Tabiq?”

“Gabe’s still trying to find out which money man keeps funding the lowlife here. Whoever it is, they don’t want progress. What I can’t figure out is why. We’ve shut down the human trafficking ring. There’s nothing left for them to want here.”

“They must be looking at replacing it with something.” And whatever it is, isn’t legal.

“Yeah. That’s what Stone is thinking too. Whoever it is, they are good. Each time Gabe thinks he’s got them, the money moves. It’s like a sophisticated cyber chess match. I can’t guess who’s winning.”

“I’d put my money on Gabe. Thanks again. We’re a bit . . . indisposed at the moment, but if you need us, let Gabe know. He can always reach me.”

“Will do and good luck.”

Rafe understood why Gabe was struggling. He was the sole cyber source for two major issues plaguing them. It wasn’t as though one took precedence over the other. Things in Tabiq were just as critical as in Moreira. Because freking evil likes to spread its wings and touch everything.

Once he had the coordinates, he passed the information to Josh with the change of plans, including collecting the DNA sample from Shadoa and getting it in the right hands. It sucked, but they were going to have to rely on Bennett Stone for some assistance. It came down to location, and Stone was a heck of a lot closer. They’d proven they could work well together—they’d had to lean on each other to get out of a few tight situations in the past—but he sure hoped they weren’t going to need to again. Josh voiced his concerns, but after much debate, they agreed Alex’s island was the best option.

For now, he knew they’d be safe. However, that left the rest of them extremely outnumbered. They were going to have to act quickly and somehow get the Literacy Corps volunteers to pack up and ship out. If not, they’d have to stay and fight. Rafe knew that wouldn’t end well. Not for any of us.