As they pulled into the clearing about a quarter of a mile from the barn, Sean was surprised at how many able-bodied men and women Sheriff had managed to gather in such a short amount of time. Off to the side stood three men, obviously ex-military, whom Sean was so happy to see there that he walked straight up to them and fell into hugs and pats on the back. This was the proverbial cavalry.

Sheriff wondered how someone like Sean had managed to get tangled up with such dangerous men but was grateful for the extra manpower.

Devon stepped away from the other two while they continued to prepare their equipment. "OK, what’s the deal, Ev? Courtney could only tell me that Katy is in some kind of danger and someone has kidnapped her."

"Dev, we think that there is a man in there who is holding Peach hostage. He is very dangerous, and we do not know what condition she is in, only that it is serious. I should have known Court would call you boys. I really appreciate this more than you'll ever know."

Sean held out a hand to Devon Kincade, Courtney’s older brother and his best friend, and in a quick hug that could only be described as masculine, they gripped forearms and yanked each other in for the space of two back slaps before abruptly releasing each other and returning to the conversation.

The two other men dressed in black stepped forward, and one spoke, "Ev, how’s it going, man?"

"Cole, Clint, I'm really glad to see you boys. I think you should meet Sheriff. He's working out the details on getting my girl back."

"The?" Cole asked.

"What’s that?"

"The sheriff?"

"Oh no, Sheriff may as well be his name. Come on."

The three rough-looking men followed Sean to the group of officers making up their search and rescue team.

"Sheriff, this is Devon Kincade, Courtney's older brother, and these guys are Cole and Clint La Barron."

As a whole, the group took an imperceptible step back from the five men at the mention of the La Barron name.

Sheriff looked at Sean through hooded eyes. With a nod of understanding, he spoke, "Impressive, Sean. Should I ask how you are tied up with specialists of their magnitude?"

"Sheriff, these boys are just friends of mine. Courtney called Dev, and Cole and Clint are his neighbors. I have spent a lot of time with them over the years. Besides, I believe their expertise could come in handy."

"Okay, Sean. Nice to meet you, fellas."

He motioned the rest of the group to step back into a circle so he could sketch out the game plan. Crouching down, he used his finger to draw a map in the dirt.

"Alright, folks, we are here. I want half of us to go down each side of the road and those groups to break into half again so we can surround the whole place. Listen carefully, we want to wait until Donald is clear of the barn before we apprehend. We do not want to want to take any unnecessary chances with Katy. We only take him out as a last option."

When Sean made a sound of objection, Sheriff looked at him sternly. "Sean, we want justice. I mean it. If I can’t trust you, I will cuff you and lock you in a car. Serious as a heart attack."

Sean stared into Sheriff’s eyes for a moment before nodding.

"Right. I'll head one group. Sean, I want you with me. I’m sending Devon and Cole out in the other group. Cole, I want you to head the group into the rear and on my side. Clint, you will head the rear team for the other side."

Devon took his black backpack off, dug into a compartment, and pulled out some small earpieces, handing one to Sheriff and one to Sean.

"I know you are all on police band, but this will keep the team leaders connected."

Sheriff rolled it around in his palm before placing it in his right ear. He pointed down the dirt road saying, "Let's spread out with a few feet between us, and I want people on the road. We don’t want him to get by us. Is that understood?"

After handing out the two earpieces, Devon handed one to Claire unnoticed by anyone else. What looked like an accidental bumping of hands to anyone else meant a lifeline to the frightened young woman. Grateful, she gripped the small electronic device in her palm and nodded once before turning away to blink the tears from her eyes.

Devon felt sorry for this beautiful woman. Intel had led him to believe she had had a rough life, and now she was once again being torn in half. No one seemed to pay her any consideration as they planned for Katherine's rescue.

Claire joined the group, a little calmer to hear Sheriff say, "Let's get this done. We want our girl out alive."

"Sheriff, please?"

Devon walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her courage. "Please bring my father out alive. Let him face prison and get help."

"Claire, we aren't a group of vigilantes. If it is at all possible, we will bring him out alive and unharmed. I know how hard this is on you, and I'm sorry you have to be involved at all."

"Just help my cousin. She doesn't deserve any of this."

Sheriff nodded, and Devon squeezed her arm reassuringly before they moved out.

The large team of twenty broke into two groups of ten and again into four groups of five. Everyone stood for a moment, checking his or her equipment one last time before starting out. They stepped over downed trees and went around the ones that still stood. The people who took notice of the three men in black were in awe of the way they moved. In one word, they were stealthy, in a frightening way. Slowly, they made their way to the barn, and every once in a while, Sean would find Sheriff glancing at him in a speculative way.

Once, a skittering sound brought the groups to a standstill, but after seeing a squirrel run up a tree, they continued forward.

When they could see the barn through a break in the trees, Sheriff held up a fist, bringing everyone to a stop. Silently, he pointed to Clint and four others and signaled them to continue to the rear of the barn. Cole pointed to four men and women and waved them to follow him. Devon took a pair of field glasses from his pack and began surveillance. Sean, who knew exactly what his friends were capable of, was torn. Part of him wanted to follow Sheriff’s instructions knowing it was the safest route, but the other half wanted to yell. His friends were mercenaries. Couldn't they crawl through the underbrush and scale the building, then squeeze through a crack? He had heard all the stories. Hell, he had lived some of the stories. Certainly, he was probably one of the only civilians who had, but he could work as a unit with these men and knew that their record was perfect and they had never lost a hostage. They could sneak in and have his neck snapped and Peach out of there before he was any wiser.

That was the thought that snapped him out of it. Whatever the man was, he was Claire's father, and she had helped them out. If it was possible, they had no choice but to get Donald to prison.

Moreover, Katy would kill him if he went back on his word. Sheriff gave Sean a thumbs up, letting him know everyone was in place. And then the waiting began.