5. Michael
“This looks like the place, boss.” Grey slows the truck as we roll up in front of an unmarked dirt driveway.
“How can you tell? There’s no numbers,” Jack asks from the passenger seat as I look down the overgrown road, trying to see any buildings on the property from my spot in the back.
So far, finding people around here has proven to be more challenging than we anticipated. Directions from the gas station involved taking one dirt road to the next dirt road, and so on.
“Well, we’re on the right street—I think. This is the even side of the road—also speculative. The last entrance was number twelve, and the driveway up there has the number twenty spray-painted on a piece of wood. This is the only driveway in between. Good chance it’s the number sixteen we’re looking for.” Grey shrugs as he stops the vehicle completely, waiting for his orders.
The address listed on Teckler’s credit card is a post office box a couple of towns over. Since we don’t want to raise any red flags, Link did a quick hack into the post office database to get his physical address.
“Okay then. We go in, but guns stay out of sight. We need confirmation that this is Stan. Grey, stay in the car, but watch for our signs.” Grey tips his head before backing the car up enough to turn onto the path.
Jack looks back at me. “You good, Grizz?”
“I’m good. You take the lead with Teckler.”
Jack nods at my request. I do better when I observe anyway.
It’s so quiet out here, I hear a branch snap under the tire before we come to a stop in front of an old wood cabin. Nothing looks out of the ordinary—not that I would know if there was.
Judging by the lack of wires going into this old building, I’ll guess Stan lives off the grid like most people out here. An old truck is parked in front of a shed around the side, and the doors to the garage are wide open.
The creak of the front steps announces our arrival.
My attention gets caught on a rusted wind chime hanging from the porch by a thread as Jack raises his hand to knock.
The door gives way, groaning open on its hinges.
Jack carefully reaches around his body, places his hand over his sidearm, and looks back to Grey, giving him the signal to stay alert.
The hairs at the back of my neck rise in warning. Meeting my gaze, Jack nods to make sure we’re both on the same page before pushing open the door with his free hand.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Jack calls into the room as he takes a few steps in. I enter on his six. The floorboards grind under our weight, welcoming us into the cabin. “We took a wrong turn. We’re looking for directions. Front door was open. Is anyone here?”
Jack’s questions go unanswered.
The old cabin has a fireplace, sitting area, and kitchen all in one large room. The couch is at an odd angle, and there’s a pillow on the floor. The smoky smell of an extinguished fire fills my nostrils, and I move to the kitchen area. A used plate, its contents now dried to the surface, sits on the tabletop, and I lift a mug to my nose before dipping the tip of my finger in. Cold coffee. Judging by the small piece of toast and the open egg carton sitting beside the stove, my guess is it was breakfast, and our guy either left in a hurry, or he’s a slob, or?—
“Body in the bedroom.” Jack’s announcement confirms the final possibility, and I pull my piece out as I walk across the room.
Slumped against the wall with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead is Stan. I’d place him at about mid-forties, and he matches the picture we got from the DMV. Blood spatter coats the wall behind him at the height he would have stood at.
“Time of death?”
Jack checks the body to answer my question. “I’d say it was earlier today. About six to eight hours ago. Rigor isn’t done setting in yet.”
“Makes sense. His breakfast plates were never cleared. Do you think he gave Dana up?” I use her real name in case any ears are listening in. It’s no secret we are all looking for Dana. It might still be a secret we’ve found Kim.
Jack remains crouched near the corpse, but he leans back on his heels before twisting to get a look at the room. “I don’t think there was time. By the looks of the other room, my guess is there was a struggle, and Stan here made a run for his rifle.” He points to an empty wooden gun rack on the wall, and I look down at the hunting rifle lying on the floor beside the bed, just out of his reach. “Intruder fires…and here we are.”
Jack pauses, taking one more look over the body, then continues, “There’s nothing here for us. Everything points to a pro, and they don’t squat where they kill. They’ll be long gone. We’ll sweep the area and get back to Logan. My instincts are to grab Dana and do an emergency extraction. We may have a short window before someone unknowingly IDs her to one of these contract killers. There are three towns within range of this cabin. Hopefully they went in the wrong direction.”
My heart tightens.
Securing Dana would lighten a lot of the stress we are under, and I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit I’ve waited for the chance to see her again.
“Let’s get back to base and check in. We’re done here.” Jack stands, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He snaps a photo of the body, then turns and takes a couple more of the room for reference.
Grey’s eyes are still on the front door as we exit the cabin and take our spots in the vehicle. Jack fills Grey in as he reverses out of the driveway and pulls onto the dirt road.
Just as Jack finishes updating Grey, the radio crackles to life. We must have driven into a dead zone when we went to Stan’s. We’re back in range, and the first sign of life is Logan shouting through the radio, “DO YOU COPY?”
I pick up the receiver and respond, “We’re here. Reception is sh?—”
“Your little bird is getting ready to fly away. She was here. She saw me and ran. Are you near me?”
My stomach knots at Logan’s words.
With Eagle watching her shop, he’s been left without a car.
“We’re on our way now, five minutes out.” Jack nods to Grey as he speaks, telling him to pick up speed.
“I’m hiking to the main road. I’ll meet you there.”
“Boss? Um—” Eagle’s voice joins the line, and everyone goes silent.
None of us were expecting she would find us first, and we’re on a potentially open line. His hesitation tells me he’s trying to consider his words so he doesn’t give anything away.
“You need to come to me. I have eyes. Fuck, I thought she was still inside.”
“Grey, I’ll meet you on the main road. Eagle, don’t let her leave. Radio silence unless urgent. Out.” The sharp squeal of radio feedback causes everyone to wince.
Jack hands me an earpiece before securing his in his ear.
We speed along the winding mountain road in silence for a few minutes, until we hit the junction that leads to our cabin. Logan comes into view as the car stops, and he joins Jack in the back seat.
Wasting no time, I nod to Jack to create the plan. He knows where my head is at. He’s been there, and he starts placing the team.
“Grey, if you can, box her vehicle in. If not, just stay close. Jekyll, hang back with Grey for now. Give us a few minutes with her. I’ll go through the back in case she tries to bolt; the last thing we want is a scene on the street. Grizz, you’re up. You go in through the front. Need-to-know. Am I understood?” It’s clear that Jack will do anything to protect Jessa, and I nod once.
A row of buildings flank the main dirt road through town. Pulling up in front of the coffee shop, Logan points out the old Jeep Dana was driving, and Grey pulls alongside it and parks.
This is it.
We have no plan, but I’m about to come face-to-face with Dana after a year of searching, and she’s probably going to tear everyone a new one.
Jack jumps out of the passenger seat and moves quickly around the side of the building. I glance up to Eagle, who waves from the roof of a two-story building across the street before moving back into place.
With each step closer to the front door, my heart rate rises, knowing she’s in there, just out of my reach.
A bell rings above my head as I step into the empty shop a moment before footsteps thump from another room.
My world slows as she comes into view.
Her eyes widen as she steps into the room. She moves to the side and pushes herself up against the wall behind her, trying to put as much space between us as she can. Then she takes a tentative step toward a backpack that’s sitting on a table.
This tries my patience. I want to close the distance, but I stay still.
She’s done a good job of hiding her identity. Her hair is dark, she’s dyed it, but there is no mistaking the rest of her body I know intimately.
Before I get the chance to speak, she decides to abandon her bag and make a run for the kitchen. I’m a couple steps behind when the door swings open, and she instantly stops and backs up as Jack walks out, caging her in the room with me.
Unless there is an exit behind her that we don’t know about, she has no way out.
She raises her hands as she steps back, asking for some space, and I follow Jack’s lead and stop walking toward her.
Her eyes flit between Jack and me. She seems unsure if we are friendly or hostile. It bothers me that she thinks I would ever be the latter, but I’ve given her every reason not to trust me now.
An awkward minute passes before she straightens and slowly drops her arms.
“Jack.” Her voice cuts through me as it bounces off the walls. Any rapport I built with her last year is completely gone.
“Dana. We aren’t here to hurt you. We need to talk,” Jack starts, and she huffs a dissident breath at the offer.
We all know she thinks her best friend is dead. We all know we are on the long list of people she blames for it.
Her lips part to speak, but the bell on the door rings again as Logan walks in.
This couldn’t be going worse.
“Well, if it isn’t Jackass.” She sneers in Logan’s direction. He is no doubt the one sitting at the top of her shit list.
“I’ve told you before; it’s Jekyll,” he answers coolly as he slowly walks into the shop, stopping just behind me.
“I wasn’t referring to your code name,” she counters, crossing her arms.
At first glance, she looks defiant, but as I look closer I notice she’s hugging herself. She’s scared.
“Fair enough,” Logan answers. Then he looks at me and says under his breath, “There’s an issue on the street.”
I nod, then turn back to Dana.
My first words come out a little weaker than I’d hoped. “Dana, Jack’s right. We really need to?—”
The bell above the door rings again, startling everyone. Dana freezes, her eyes going wide as a line of kids file into the coffee shop.
“B-boys. What are you doing here?” Dana stutters, concern written all over her face. Her worry isn’t for herself anymore. I think it’s for the group of six teenagers who are piling into the coffee shop and taking seats all around us.
Glancing at each kid, I examine their faces. They are scanning our little group, and they are moving cautiously around us, and soon I realize we’ve become surrounded by adolescence.
“Hey, Ms. J.” The kid nearest to me speaks up, and tension coils its way through my muscles as the rest of the group stays awkwardly silent. “Kaley told us she saw you, and you were…open late, and we thought we’d all drop by. You know how we all love to show our support for—local business.” He carefully finishes his sentence, and everyone stays quiet as he looks between Jack, Logan, and me.
I have to hand it to the kid; standing up for Dana like this is pretty impressive. He must know he’s out of his league.
“Thanks, T-Tyler.” She answers him with a soft smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. Then she turns and finally looks directly at me, her eyes pleading. “You should go.”
My laughter comes out as an indignant cough. I’m not leaving without her, and if she thinks some juveniles are going to get in my way, I can’t wait to show her how wrong she is.
I’ll drag her sorry ass out to the car myself.
“We’re not going anywhere, Kim,” I bite back. A few of the kids stand at my words. “We came to talk to you, and we’re not leaving until we have that talk.” My patience is paper thin.
She’s treating us like the problem here, and I won’t have it.
I cross my arms, mimicking her as we stare each other down.
“You heard her. I think you guys should go.” Tyler’s voice isn’t as assertive as it was just a moment ago, but all the kids are standing now, urging us to leave.
This has become borderline adorable, but my tolerance for bullshit is almost completely gone.
I take another step into the shop, toward Dana. Everyone shifts at the same time, and I brace for a fight as Dana’s voice startles the room, and everyone freezes.
“STOP! Just—Tyler. Thank you.” Then, looking at each boy, she continues, “All of you, for coming here so late at night to…support me. These guys aren’t here to hurt me, right?” She looks between Jack and me for confirmation, and I nod, a little put off that she thinks harming her is a possibility for any of us.
“You two!” The Dana I remember has composed herself, and she points her finger at Jack and me. “I’ll give you five minutes to talk. Everyone else waits outside. That means you too,” she finishes, jabbing a finger at Logan.
“But, Kim—” Tyler starts, and Dana raises her hand, asking for quiet.
“No, Tyler. You have no idea how much I appreciate this, but you are all Second Chance Kids. You know what’ll happen. Please. Five minutes,” she pleads, and the kid nods in some secret understanding and turns to leave. Logan follows them outside, and I watch as the boys cross the street to meet up with a few girls who are waiting for them.
As the door jingles shut, Dana pulls out a chair at the closest table and sits down, placing her backpack on her lap.
That’s what she came for. If she had gotten to it sooner, she’d be in the wind again. This whole situation is unstable.
I scramble to find the words to start. I want to tell her we were looking for her and she wasn’t alone, but, judging by the crowd here tonight, she hasn’t been alone. I also want to tell her about Jessa. It’s on the tip of my tongue, but I won’t.
“Second Chance Kids?” Jack breaks the ice, and Dana softens at the mention of the boys waiting outside.
I keep forgetting those two have a history as friends, and I sense she trusts him—to an extent. She thinks they share Jessa’s loss, and my stomach twists at our lie.
“Some of the boys have gotten into trouble in the past. Lots of people here live paycheck to paycheck, when they get one, but the community is tight-knit. They aren’t bad kids, there’s just not a lot to keep them busy out here. The sheriff is always looking for a reason to get them into the system. He’s big-city, and no crime is bad for business—it makes him look like he isn’t doing his job. No one around these parts trusts him much. I don’t want to give him a reason to bust any of those kids. They don’t deserve it,” she finishes as her fingers play with the zipper on her backpack.
This whole town has become Dana’s weakness. She’s created a new family. But the compassion she has for those kids is going to get someone hurt.
Jack looks at me and takes a deep breath.
He knows it too.
We need to get her out of here.
Picking at a worn seam on her bag, she asks Jack, “Why are you here?” before glancing in my direction. I can’t manage a smile right now; I’m preoccupied with concern for her. She continues, “What’s going to happen to me, Jack?”
He considers her question with an uncomfortable pause before answering.
“Dana, you’re in trouble. There’s a hit out on you.”