Chapter Thirteen #3
He pushed deeper into the cloud, shoving past the slow-moving figures. This whole thing was orchestrated for a reason he couldn’t yet grasp, but he knew Olivia was in danger, and this charade was giving Shepherd the advantage he needed.
“I think I’ve spotted them.” Chance’s voice crackled in his ear. “I switched off thermal. They’ve emerged from the woods and are now crossing the bridge that stretches over the canyon separating the two mountains.”
Spinning in a circle, Eli had no idea which direction to go in. “Tak, I can’t tell east from west in this smoke. Could use a little help.”
“I’ve got you,” Tak said, and seconds later a drone descended over Eli’s head. “I’ll guide you out.”
The buzzing drone took off and Eli followed it. They hit a couple of dense patches of smoke, but when he lost sight of the drone, he kept pace with the mechanical sound. Its rhythmic hum was a beacon for him until he was clear of the yellow cloud.
“Head east,” Tak said, sending the drone whirring to his right.
Eli cut through the trees, running as fast as he could go. Adrenaline pounded through his veins. Chance had said something that now echoed in his mind, the bridge.
What was on the other side? Was there a car waiting at the end of a trail?
He couldn’t let them completely disappear. “Don’t lose sight of her, Chance.”
“I can still see her. They’re stopping in the middle of the bridge.”
“Over a canyon?” Eli asked as he continued running. “Doing what?”
“She’s putting on a harness,” Chance said.
Dread knifed into his chest. Eli pushed harder, ignoring the sting in his lungs and the burn in his thighs. The drone zipped ahead. Branches whipped at his face as he jumped over a protruding root, but he refused to slow.
“Now, she’s climbing over the side. You need to hurry.” Chance’s frantic tone added another layer of urgency, spurring Eli forward, but his thoughts spiraled.
He envisioned Olivia descending into the canyon, falling into Shepherd’s clutches, and disappearing. The image alone fueled him, driving him to run faster.
“Two hundred feet, Eli,” Tak said. “You’re almost there.”
Driven by desperate hope, he rounded a bend and burst through the tree line. The canyon yawned before him.
As he sprinted onto the suspension bridge, it swung slightly. He gripped the thick ropes on either side, using them to maintain his balance.
Tristan stood in the middle, looking over the side. Below, the chasm was deep and unforgiving.
Eli glimpsed Olivia dangling in a harness with shoulder straps. An electric pulley device lowered her fast as lightning. “Liv!”
She looked up at him and shouted, “…ree!”
Ree? What was that supposed to mean?
“I don’t understand!”
She touched the bottom.
A dark van pulled nearby, and the side door slid open. She tugged at the harness, unfastening it.
No, no, no.
One of the drones dived down into the canyon.
Eli hurried across the bridge, causing it to sway more violently with each step. He had to get down there and reach her. Couldn’t let her get inside that van.
Staring over the side, Tristan began disengaging the latches securing the apparatus to the bridge.
Eli drew his weapon. “Stop!”
“Are you really going to shoot an unarmed kid, Mr. Easton?” Tristan asked, still working, his hand moving quickly.
“Don’t test me.” Eli shuffled forward, trying to keep his balance and aim steady. “I’ll do it.”
“Nah, I don’t think you will.” Tristan unfastened the last latch and tossed the apparatus over the side.
Gunfire echoed in the canyon at the same time. Eli peered over the side of the bridge.
Someone shot the drone from the sky, and it crashed to the ground. Olivia climbed inside the van, wearing a hood over her head. The door slid closed, and the vehicle sped off.
Smiling, Tristan raised his palms high in the air.
Eli stopped in front of him with his gun pointed at the kid.
“Are you going to pull the trigger, Mr. Easton?”
“I’m going to haul you and your friends into the FBI.” Sweat beaded on Eli’s forehead, dripping into his eyes. “Where you’re going to be questioned until I get her back,” he said, his voice tight and strained with barely suppressed rage.
“I’ve done nothing illegal. She gave her consent to everything. Even the use of Protocol Sunburst.”
“Sunburst?”
“The nonviolent countermeasure in the woods. Designed to keep everyone safe. Nothing illegal about smoke and ponchos.” His grin widened.
“She got into the harness and the van of her own free will and I have absolutely no idea where she’s going.
” Tristan put his hands on his head and turned around.
“There’s a note for you in my back pocket. You should read it.”
A white envelope peeked out of his jeans pocket.
Eli snatched it and took out the note from the unsealed envelope.
Contacting law enforcement would be a violation of parley.
Severe consequences will follow.
For entering the forest, you must pay.
The price for her speedy return?
Get the Aegis NOC list. Nonnegotiable.
A roar built in Eli’s chest, rising in his throat at the words on the note card. His vision tunneled, the world shrinking to the small piece of paper in his hand, the letters swimming in a blood-red haze of pure fury.