Chapter 14
When Hunter raced back into the compound, he’d skipped the building they’d entered before and moved to the next. The smaller structure proved to be a storage shed for tools, machines and a tractor. There were no secret attics or trap doors. His team wasn’t in the shed.
The next building was larger, a long low building with windows running its length. He peered through one of the windows into what appeared to be some kind of open-bay barracks.
He moved on, his gut telling him he was running out of time.
As he rounded a corner of the last building, he spotted a line of men shining flashlights into the shadows, moving through the compound, probably looking for the missing women.
Out of the corner of his eyes, a shadowy figure captured Hunter’s attention.
Hank Patterson eased up to him. “I thought you’d be with the women getting them to the Zodiacs.”
Hunter shook his head. “Not leaving this island without my team,” he said. “I take it you haven’t located them?
Hank shook his head. “Not yet. We’ve been through all the buildings. No sign of them whatsoever.”
Hank nodded toward the men searching the grounds. “Are they looking for the women?”
“That’s my assumption,” Hunter said. “Can’t sell what you don’t have. It’s ironic they’re searching for the women we found, and we’re looking for my team they found.”
“They’re leaving the compound,” Hank said. “I hope they don’t get to the Zodiacs before the ladies. Did Savvie go with them?”
Hunter nodded. “She wanted to come with me, but I told her she needed to see the ladies made it off the island.”
Hank snorted softly. “How’d she take being told what to do?”
“She wasn’t happy.”
The compound’s heavy iron doors remained open while the men searched the grounds near the wall.
“Do you think they could have taken my guys somewhere outside the walls?” Hunter asked.
Hank’s brow wrinkled. “It’s possible.”
A slim, shadowy figure approached the iron doors, stopped and peered out.
Hunter leaned forward. “Do you see that?”
Hank nodded. “Too slim to be a guy.”
Hunter’s pulse kicked up as he recognized the way the figure moved. “Holy shit.”
“What?” Hank asked.
“It’s not a guy,” Hunter said. “It’s Savvie.”
“Go,” Hank said. “I’ll rally my guys and follow.”
Hunter left the corner of the building where he’d been crouched in the dark, watching the men searching the compound.
He moved quickly, trying to stick to the shadows as best he could, finally having to cross an open area with starlight shining down on him.
Once through the iron doors, he avoided the line of men searching the edge of the woods and the road leading toward the cove.
Hunter paused in the shadow of a palm and searched the underbrush for Savvie’s slim silhouette.
He looked in the opposite direction from where the men were heading toward the cove.
A movement caught his eye, heading toward the southeast corner of the compound.
But it wasn’t the slim, dark silhouette of Savvie. This figure was taller with a barrel chest, moving with less grace than Savvie.
Where had Savvie gone? And who was this moving outside the wall?
Hunter suspected whoever it was could be following Savvie.
He followed, closing in on the man while placing his feet carefully to avoid making noise.
The ground was rockier, leading out to a point in the water with cover and concealment diminishing quickly.
The closer he got to the rocky outcropping, the louder the waves thundered.
Ahead of the man, a dark figure picked its way across the rocks.
Savvie.
She seemed to be looking for something, zigzagging across the rocky surface until she came to a stop and bent over.
Hunter wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard her call out.
The man between Hunter and Savvie increased his speed, barreling toward her.
“Savvie!” Hunter yelled and ran toward her. He couldn’t shoot the man because Savvie was in the line of fire. It was too risky. His bullet might hit her instead.
Savvie didn’t look up. The waves crashing against the rocks must have drowned out his call.
The man with the barrel chest was within two yards of Savvie, and he wasn’t slowing down.
Hunter ran all out, racing to get to Savvie. “Savvie!” he yelled again.
She spun but not soon enough to dodge the man.
He plowed into her like a linebacker, knocking her backward. Instead of falling onto the rocks, she disappeared completely.
Hunter’s heart flipped.
The man who’d hit her bent over, staring downward.
As Hunter neared him, the man turned and aimed a pistol at Hunter’s chest.
“One step closer, and I’ll shoot you,” the man said.
“Then you better shoot me because if you hurt Savvie, I’m going to kill you.”
The man fired his weapon, his hand shaking so badly, the bullet went wide, missing his target.
Anger boiled inside Hunter. He stalked the guy, stopping just three feet short of the man.
Beyond where he stood was a hole the size of a bus. The waves making the crashing sounds on the rocky shore made softer sounds moving in and out of the cave below.
Hunter couldn’t see to the bottom of the hole to know whether Savvie was all right. If he wanted to get there, he had to go through the man with the gun.
“Move,” he demanded.
“No,” the man shook his head.
Hunter didn’t have time to waste on this piece of shit. He swung a sidekick hard and fast, catching the man’s gun wrist and knocking the pistol out of his grip. It skittered across a rock and slipped between crevices.
The man clutched his wrist, roared and plowed into Hunter, knocking him backward.
Hunter staggered several steps before he regained his footing and slung the man away from him. He had to get to that hole. If Savvie was down there, she could be hurt.
He’d only taken a few steps backward when the man hit him in the gut almost knocking him into the hole. Hunter grabbed the man’s shirt, rolled onto his back, and flipped the guy over his head. The man landed on the rim of the hole, scrambled for a moment and then slid inside.
“Help!” a voice called from below.
“Help!” another voice yelled.
Hunter peered over the edge into the darkness.
“Hunter!” Stone’s voice called out. “Throw us a rope! Hurry! The water’s up to our waists, and the current is dragging us out.”
Hunter searched the area around him, the starlight half-hidden behind clouds. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, hit the flashlight function and shined it all around. When he didn’t find a rope, he expanded his search.
“Hurry!” Stone called out.
Several yards away, he saw a frayed rope hidden behind a large stone. The rope had knots at regular intervals along its length.
Hunter tied the end of the rope to a huge boulder and dropped the length into the swirly hole.
“Sending Savvie up first. Help her get there,” Stone yelled from below.
Savvie started up the rope. Soon, Hunter could see the top of her head. He grabbed the rope and hauled her the rest of the way to the top, grabbed her wrist and dragged her onto the stone ledge.
She turned immediately and flung the rope down for the others.
Dax came up next, scaling the rope as fast as he could.
Right behind him was Bubba, then Carter and Moe.
“It’s bad down there,” Moe said. “I almost didn’t make it out.”
Hunter touched the rope. It was pulled tight and jerking as if someone was climbing it. “Stone’s on the rope.”
“Help him,” Savvie cried, grabbing the end.
The others all grabbed a section and pulled, leaning back.
When Stone’s head rose above the rocky ledge, a cheer went up. They didn’t let up on their hold until their leader was safely out.
“What about the guy who pushed Savvie in?” Hunter asked.
“Swept out to sea,” Stone said. “I tried to hold onto him, but he must have hit his head going down.
“Move back,” Savvie cried. “It’s going to blow!”
Savvie and the men backed away, giving the blow hole enough distance that when the waves pushed in below, the water that shot up like a geyser only got a little spray on them.
Hunter pulled Savvie into his arms and held her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back.
“We need to get out of here,” Stone said.
They left the rocky point and slipped into the shadows of the trees, moving toward the beach where they’d left the Zodiac.
“Yellowstone, this is Eagle Rock,” Hank’s voice came through Hunter’s headset.
“This is Yellowstone,” Hunter responded.
“Sorry we didn’t get to you in time. Ran into trouble. Status of your team?”
“Intact and heading for the beach,” Hunter said.
“Our ride moved in to pick up our passengers,” Hank said. “It won’t take you long to reach it once you’re on the water. See you aboard.”
They made it to the beach without meeting any more resistance, and thankfully, the Zodiac was where they’d left it, unharmed.
They pushed it out into the surf, climbed aboard and left the little island.
Hunter wrapped his arm around Savvie and held her close all the way back to the yacht, where they reunited with Hank’s guys and the survivors they’d rescued from the Caldwell mafia.
“We’re headed for Key West,” Hank said. “The Coast Guard will meet us there, and we’ll transfer the ladies into their care.”
Savvie, Hunter and the rest of the Brotherhood Protectors spent the remainder of the trip helping the women who were still under the lingering effects of the drugs they’d been given and the trauma of being kidnapped.
By the time they met up with the Coast Guard, the team was given the option of driving back to Miami or remaining with the yacht to make the trip by sea.
They all opted for returning by sea.
The sun came up as soon as they left Key West and warmed the air around them.
Hunter and Savvie claimed lounge chairs on the deck and napped part of the time.
The captain’s crew served them breakfast with mimosas.
By the time they pulled into the dock in Miami, they were ready to be home but still had the long flight back to Montana.
Hunter dozed off several times but woke up looking for Savvie. It would take time to get over the nightmare of seeing her pushed into the blowhole.