“You ever get that feeling you’re being watched?” Lars whispered in Finn’s ear. “Like, when you’re in the middle of a jungle late at night or something?”

Finn gave Lars a stare that the man completely ignored.

“Quiet,” Kane murmured, putting his binoculars back on his eyes.

They’d made a stop at the man’s motel in Marfa—just a few minute’s drive from Duncan’s house—before coming through to the island. The man had a whole array of gadgets that had seemed to intrigue Lars to no end.

Bailey had kept muttering something about, ‘ordering them off EBay’, but he’d been muttering stuff like that all night, so Finn hadn’t paid him much mind.

Twilight had well and truly left the world; early night hung thick and heavy in the island’s thickly knit jungle. The air was moist, and smelled like the promise of rain, but only a thin veil of clouds had drawn over the moon as yet.

Finn’s beast wasn’t happy, either with this remote location or their present company. There was a constant click-click-click of pacing claws. A low growl. The flapping of ears as his beast shook itself in irritation.

Or perhaps it felt drawn to that beach house as much as he did. Perhaps it wanted to breach the jungle’s cover and charge inside to rescue Cora.

He could sense her there. It made no sense, but he knew she was close.

But Kane had advised caution.

Had insisted they worked out a plan of attack.

And Finn let him take lead, because he knew the fact that he was willing to charge blindly into the line of fire made him a terrible leader right then.

“No movement,” Kane murmured to the three of them. “Only one light, and it looks like a fireplace.”

“Can you see inside?”

“Nothing of interest.” Kane put down the binoculars and looked at them over his shoulder. “We should split up. Each cover a room. See if we can make multiple entries.” He pointed. “Bedroom window, kitchen window, front door.”

“That’s three,” Bailey said grumpily.

“Well noted.” Kane’s eyes gleamed a little too brightly, especially in the hazy moonlight from above. “You’ll be look out.”

“For what?” Bailey snapped. “There’s no one else here.”

“And you’ll be sure to alert us if that changes,” Kane said.

Did Finn sound like that when he was trying to reason with Bailey? Finn laid a hand on the man’s shoulder, and Bailey flinched before turning to him.

“We’re counting on you,” Finn said, his voice a low grumble. “Don’t let anyone sneak up on us.”

Whether his comment helped or hindered was impossible to tell, but at least Bailey didn’t argue when they moved forward. Kane hesitated, and then pointed out the beach house. “We need to decide positions.”

“I’ll take the kitchen,” Lars said.

“You want to take the front?” Kane asked of Finn.

Finn stared at the man. “No, you take it,” he said.

Better someone with a level head right now than him; he wanted to tear Zachary limb from limb, and he knew that would influence everything he did once he got close to her. He couldn’t be responsible for more harm coming to Cora.

Kane nodded. “Go ahead, I’m right behind you. Just want to make sure Bailey’s got us covered.”

“I’m sure he’s—” Lars began, with a frown at Kane.

“Quiet.” Finn pointed at the beach house. “Let’s go.”

Finn could feel Lars glaring at him as they crept over the glowing sand that stretched between them and the beach house, but he didn’t make eye contact. Lars stopped walking, but just as Finn came to a stop outside the beach house’s bedroom window, he heard the man’s footsteps start up again.

Lars of all people should know he couldn’t be trusted right now. Not with so much at stake. He’d fuck it up. Cora would get hurt, maybe killed.

And he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if that happened.

Bailey had no reason to be so pissed off, but that didn’t make his indignation vanish. Made to keep look out like the fat kid in gym class who never made the team; what the fuck was Finn thinking?

Then again, Finn had never liked him to begin with. It had probably been easy for him to agree with Kane.

Bailey glared after the three men, stiffening his neck when he saw Kane head back his way.

The fuck did he want?

“What are you doing?” Bailey murmured when Kane was in earshot.

“Making sure you don’t go anywhere.”

Bailey snorted through his nose. “Fuck off. Just because—”

Kane pistol whipped him.

The jungle’s shadows lunged at him, all claws and teeth and hissed promises of eternal sleep.

The kitchen window opened without a sound. Lars lifted his head and peeked through, studying the dimly lit appliances and counters. There was no light inside the kitchen itself, but an ambient amber glow from the living room painted the room with just enough light to pick out the edges of furniture.

Lars hoisted himself up and slid through the window on his belly. It opened above a countertop, and luckily nothing lay on it that could rattle or clatter.

He twisted around, silently setting his feet on the floor. A quick glance showed the room to be empty. He could see a sliver of the living room’s one wall; the light in there was much brighter, but failed to illuminate anything of importance.

On his second step, the floorboard creaked under him. He winced, halted, and waited for the fall out.

Nothing.

Another step, another low creak.

Jesus Christ, whoever’d built this house should be drawn and quartered.

Creak. Creak.

His heart was pounding so hard, he wouldn’t be surprised if that drumming was louder than the dodgy floorboards.

If he hadn’t been straining so hard to hear, he would have missed the shuffling sound coming from the hallway.

Finn or Kane?

His arms prickled as he drew nearer to the hallway. Another creak, this time not his, down the hall to the left.

The bedroom.

Goddamn, Finn would give them all away if he tried to walk down the hall. But perhaps he’d realized it, because Lars couldn’t hear any more sounds coming from that side of the hall.

Kane sounded as if he was drawing closer; a gentle brushing, like fabric against a wall. As if the man had his back pressed to it.

Maybe that’s why his floorboards didn’t creak.

Finn attempted another step.

The board creaked loud enough that Lars stopped breathing.

“Why don’t you three gentlemen come join us?” came a voice from the living room.

Christ, he almost screamed like a little girl. Lars reeled back, a hand on his heart as if he could somehow stop it tearing through his chest and landing in a wet, bloody pile on the floor.

Finn growled from down the hallway. Floorboards didn’t creak anymore—they shrieked in agony.

Lars bounded forward, barely catching Finn before the man burst into the living room.

Kane was already there, standing to one side with a rapt look on his face. If this hadn’t been real life, he’d have thought Zachary had cast some kind of hypnotic spell on him.

And then he saw Cora, and it all made sense.