As the road grade steepens and the forest growth grows denser, my anxiety ratchets up until my stomach is nothing but a tight fist of nerves. Not for myself, but for Decker and Rayne. How is Decker holding up? He’s only eight and he’s never been faced with this type of adversity. What about Rayne? Knowing that her son is in danger must be breaking her. Is she holding it together? And has Horton put his hands on her?

Shaking my head to clear it, I focus on the device in my hands. Ronin is driving the Land Cruiser so I’m able to pay attention to the tracker app on my phone. We’ve also pulled Sayward in, and from time to time her voice breaks in over the vehicle’s Bluetooth.

“You guys are getting close.” Sayward’s tone is measured and calm. “You’re only a couple of miles away from where the tracker is located. What’s the terrain like? Do you see any houses around?”

Sayward and I were able to connect my phone to her laptop, and my tracking application was showing up on her screen. I’m thankful as hell for Grisham’s forethought to bring her in on this before they left Wilmington. They came outfitted with earpieces and wireless devices so that we can all keep in constant contact with one another, and with Sayward, throughout the mission. The covered bed of Dare’s truck looks like a mini-weapons locker with additional reinforcements, and we’re walking into this rescue far more prepared than we could have been.

Ronin studies the surroundings as he turns onto a dirt path that we almost missed. “It’s pretty crazy up here. Definitely no properties in sight. Whoever owns this land owns a big ass chunk of it. There’re NO TRESPASSING signs all over the place.”

Scanning the woods around us, I note the signs, and from that, coupled with the rough terrain of the road, it’s obvious that whoever owns this property wants it to stay tucked away from prying eyes.

I’m hit with a sense of déjà vu the farther we progress down the path. I know this property.

I’m about to voice the thought when my phone rings. My body going tense, I check the screen, only to see that the number is blocked.

Sayward is cut off when I answer. “Hello?”

“Jeremy!”

When I hear Rayne’s voice calling out to me from my car’s speakers my heart riots in my chest. “Rayne? Are you hurt, darlin’?”

Trying to keep my voice level and calm, not relaying the pure panic I feel over the line is a feat, but I think I accomplish it.

“Jeremy, he’s letting Decker go. Someone’s going to pick him up and bring him to you.”

Her words come out in a tumbled rush, and she sounds so very un-Raynelike my stomach flips. “What? Why would he do that?”

The engine revs as Ronin pushes through a particularly steep incline. When we crest the ridge, he pulls to a stop. His headlights illuminate the path in front of us, and I know we’ve driven as far as we can. Now it’s time for us to get out, gear up, and follow the remainder of the path on foot.

“Jeremy, listen. I made a deal.”

My heart plummets. Blinking rapidly, I focus on her voice and will myself not to bolt from the vehicle to get to her. “What kind of deal, Rayne?”

Her voice cracks and it’s my hard limit. I want to feel Horton’s throat in my hands. I want to feel the life leaking out of him. But more than any of that, I need to get my hands on Rayne, check her for injuries, and cradle her to my chest.

I need her to be safe.

“He lets Decker go. He has someone coming to take him to you. But you have to stop looking for me, Jer. You have to let me go.”

Her voice breaks again on the last word. Shaking my head, the despair I feel is in danger of taking over my entire body. “Rayne…can he hear me?”

“No-no.”

Speaking so quickly my words tumble over one another, my voice pleads with her to hold on. “I’m coming for you and Decker both, Rayne. We don’t need Horton’s deal. Do you hear me? Stall him. If he said he’s letting Decker come to me, it’s a damn lie. Because I’m close, baby. I’m coming for you both.”

A sob bursts from her just before her voice rises in a strangled cry and the phone is ripped away from her.

“You heard her. Whatever fantasy you have of a happily-ever-after with your son and his mother are now obsolete. Let. Her. Go. Be thankful for your son and all he stands to inherit.”

My open palm slams down on the dashboard. “Fuck you, asshole. If you hurt her, or touch my son, I will dismember you. One limb at a time. Got me?”

His chuckle fills the air in the car before the line goes dead.