Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Henry
Darkness surrounded me like a thick blanket out here in the middle of nowhere. Even the moon and stars were hidden by heavy, ominous clouds, which did nothing to settle the unease filling me as I jogged through a field of sugarcane.
Blake was able to send me all the information he could find on the horse property where Ariana was taken.
It had been on the market for about five years now.
Thankfully, the listing had provided a fairly detailed schematic of the various buildings around the property.
I decided the best thing for me to do would be to cut a path along the rear of the property and enter the stables that way.
Yes, the place was abandoned, but based on how careful this guy seemed, I had to be prepared for the likelihood of some sort of security.
The air was thick with humidity as I moved through the night. Even thicker than it was earlier in the day. Sweat beaded on my brow, my t-shirt clinging to my skin. But I pushed onward, running as fast as I could while still reserving energy for whatever I may face once I got there.
This was one of the times I wished Blake were here. I’d briefly contemplated calling Gideon and asking him for help. But Imogene was days away from giving birth. He needed to be there for her. And his daughter.
Just like I needed to be here for mine.
And for Ariana.
I glanced at my phone, my pulse quickening when I saw how close I was to the tracker. Less than a tenth of a mile. Ariana was close. Close enough that I should have seen something by now.
A light. A building. Anything.
Instead, darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.
A knot tightened in my gut. Something felt…off. But I shoved the thought aside.
Like Blake said, this was the perfect place for…whatever it was he was doing with all the girls Victor sold him. Remote. Isolated. No one around for miles. And abandoned years ago. She had to be here.
I picked up my pace, pushing down the pain as the sugarcane scraped against my arms like thousands of tiny blades.
Every second that passed was another second Ariana was in danger.
Another second Sarah was in danger.
Another second I might be too late.
Finally, the wall of sugarcane broke apart, and I emerged into an open field, immediately dropping into a crouch to survey my surroundings. A cluster of buildings sat in the distance. Stables. Detached garage. Weathered farmhouse.
All exactly where Blake’s satellite images said they’d be.
For a brief moment, relief filled me. But the longer I assessed my surroundings, the more that uneasy feeling returned. The property wasn’t just quiet.
It was dead.
No lights glowed in the windows.
No car sitting outside.
No indication anyone had been here at all.
Even the frogs and insects seemed strangely quiet.
I slowly rose to my full height, and pulled my gun from its holster as I started toward the stables. My eyes swept across rooftops, corners, and fence posts for any sign of a security camera.
Nothing.
Which only increased my suspicion that something wasn’t right.
As I approached the stable, I noticed the door hanging slightly open, nothing but darkness spilling from the gap. I pressed my body against the exterior wall, listening for movement. Voices. Anything.
And again, there was nothing.
I took a moment to prepare myself for whatever I was about to walk in on. Then I raised my gun and pushed the door open.
The hinges groaned loudly, easily alerting anyone to my presence.
But I was met with only silence.
I kept my gun at the ready, shining my flashlight over each stall I passed.
Each one was empty except for the occasional beer can and used condom.
Evidence people had been here at some point, just not recently.
Still, I continued moving toward where Ariana was supposed to be, dread tightening my stomach with each step I took, my boots echoing against the concrete.
When I turned the corner into the last stall, every muscle in my body gave out.
Because it was empty…
Except for small metallic object lying in a puddle of blood.
For several long seconds, I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t move. The entire world narrowed to that tiny piece of metal lying on the ground.
I was too late.
Just like with Spencer.
Just like with my mother.
I doubled over, a strangled cry tearing from my throat, the sound reverberating around me, reminding me of everything I’d lost.
Again.
Yanking my cell from my pants, I hit Blake’s contact. His voice came over the line almost instantly.
“Did you find her?” The hope in his voice nearly broke me.
“She’s not here.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I fucking said, Blake. She’s not here. The only thing here is her fucking tracker. And a pool of blood. Fuck! She’s gone. She’s gone, and it’s my fucking fault.”
“It’s not your fault. Just try to stay calm.”
“Stay calm.” I barked out a laugh. “Right.”
“Take a minute and look around. See if he left anything behind that might help. Anything at all.”
I wanted to tell him it was useless, but forced myself to shine my flashlight over the space.
Nothing stood out. Dirt. Hay. Food wrappers.
The only thing that looked like it didn’t belong was Ariana’s tracker and the blood.
But I did as Blake asked, noticing a small trail of blood leading from the stall where I found the tracker and out the large barn doors.
I opened them up, seeing a pair of tire marks in the dirt.
But tire marks wouldn’t help me find Ariana.
I went back into the stable, following the trail of blood once more, leading all the way up to the tracker.
But as I shined my flashlight into the stall, I noticed something I hadn’t before.
Beside the tracker was a symbol drawn on the cement in blood. A crown at the top of a cross that transitioned into something akin to a blade toward the bottom.
I blinked, my blood running cold as I stared at the same symbol branded on Blake’s chest.
Not similar.
Not close.
Identical.
“What is it?” Blake’s voice cut through. “Did you find something?”
Every warning bell I’d ignored came screaming back to life, and my grip tightened around the phone, rage flooding through me, hot and violent.
I’d spent hours chasing Ariana through half of Florida when Blake might have known something this entire time.
When he might have been behind it all this time.
“Yeah. I did,” I replied with a growl, staring at the symbol.
At the blood.
At the tracker.
“What is it?” he pressed.
“You’ll know soon enough.”