Chapter 30
30
“ W hat do you mean, the SWAT team has disappeared?” Sampson barked.
Rhys’s gaze snapped toward the US Marshal agent. He glanced at Dax for a moment before turning his attention back to the agent. Most of the rioters had been contained, and order had been regained over the prison. Rhys and Dax had been brought into the plans of pursuing Viktor who was not amongst the prisoners. He, Sergio Cabal, and a few other known members of the Demon Lords had escaped.
There was an official manhunt for the gangsters. Rhys and Dax stood around with the US Marshal team who would be leading the hunt for the fugitives. They stood before the large box van that was one of their mobile command units. There was a map taped to the side of the vehicle.
“Fuck. And the warden?” Sampson asked.
Whoever was on the other end of the call was not bringing good news. The man looked even more haggard then when Rhys had first met him.
But Rhys honestly didn’t care about the warden. Where was the SWAT team? Where was Jordan? Their mission had been to go inside the prison and retrieve the warden who had been held hostage.
How did eight officers go missing?
“What the fuck is going on?” Dax murmured.
“Don’t know,” Rhys replied. The gut feeling of his that had been screaming was telling him something. If the SWAT team was missing, then that meant their mission had gone to shit. Rhys tried to remain calm, but his heart rate increased. He eyed the wooded area that surrounded the prison. It had been built away from the city and was out in the rural area. “I’m sure we are about to find out.”
The other agents surrounding them were growing restless as well. Everyone was focused on Sampson’s conversation. Rhys glanced down at Honor sitting at his feet. She turned her head as if to question what was going on. He reached down and patted her on her head.
“Hold on, girl,” he murmured.
Sampson ended the call and slid his phone in his back pocket. The weathered Marshal ran a hand along his face and came to stand back in front of the group.
“It would appear that Warden Kovacs was found deceased in the basement,” Sampson announced.
Murmurs went around behind Rhys. He didn’t take his eyes off the agent. He needed to hear about the SWAT team. Where the fuck were they?
Their attention was stolen from the agent as the ground rumbled. Rhys switched his attention toward the prison, but all was well there. Honor and Hawk both stood and barked at the sound of the explosion.
“What the hell?” Rhys murmured. His heart leaped into his throat. He scanned the area near the prison and took in smoke billowing up in the air a ways from the building. He tugged on Honor’s leash to get her under control.
“What the fuck was that?” someone shouted off in the background.
“I thought everything was contained?” Dax, too, focused in on the smoke in the air.
“I’m not sure what the hell that was,” Sampson said.
Rhys snatched his phone out of his pocket and slid his finger along the glass screen. He pulled up Zayden’s number and hit it. His friend answered on the first ring.
“What the fuck is going on?” Rhys bit back. He took a few steps away, pulling Honor with him.
Dax and Hawk followed.
“They are covering up shit because of the media. Hold on,” Zayden replied.
There was chaos behind the sergeant’s voice. Rhys turned to Dax and slowly shook his head. He should have known there was more going on than they were being told. His friend would not hide anything from him. They both had much vested in the SWAT team’s whereabouts.
Dax narrowed his gaze on him and folded his arms. “Can you hear me?”
The noise behind Zayden was quieter. He must have moved away from wherever he was.
“Yeah,” Rhys replied.
“They found the warden’s body in the basement. Apparently there is a sub level that is not on the fucking blueprints. It would seem the SWAT team was pursuing the men responsible for the warden’s death. There is a recording of the bastards shooting the warden in the elevator. Thank fuck there are cameras in the basement. We caught sight of the SWAT team in pursuit of them, but then that’s where it ends.”
“What do you mean, that’s where it ends?” Rhys asked.
Dax moved closer to him and tilted his head to the side. Rhys held up a finger. He couldn’t put this call on speaker phone if no one wanted word to get out what was really going on.
“SWAT entered a sub level to the prison, and we’ve lost all contact with them.”
A cold chill went down Rhys’s spine. He did not like the sound of it. This felt too much like a setup. Start a riot in the prison, free Viktor, and capture the SWAT team all in one swoop.
“What’s the plan?” Rhys asked. He was ready to volunteer to go after the SWAT team if need be. The Marshals could go after Viktor and the other fugitives. He needed to find Jordan.
“We are sending more men in to go down there after SWAT,” Zayden said.
“If you need me?—”
“Me and Lane will be going. Arlo will continue on with his assignment. I need you with the Marshals. I don’t know what we are going to find down there, but I need eyes on Viktor. Bravon may be with him. If they find them, we may find?—”
“Jordan,” Rhys finished. He already felt it deep in his gut. They wouldn’t find Jordan down there with the other SWAT members. This was going to be Bravon’s way of exacting revenge on his woman.
“I just pray we find them alive.” Zayden sighed.
Emotions filled Zayden’s voice that led to Rhys growing even more angry. This gang needed to be brought down. They had grown too powerful, and someone needed to put a stop to them.
“She’ll be fine, Rhys. She’s down there with my brother and the rest of the team. They are damn good men.”
“I know. Watch your six,” Rhys said, disconnecting the call.
“What the fuck is going on? What’s with Jordan?” Dax asked.
Rhys quickly brought him up to speed on the conversation with Zayden. Dax cursed and shook his head. Hawk barked, ready to go to work. Honor growled low, paying close attention to Rhys.
“Newman. Timbrell,” Sampson shouted for them.
Rhys nodded to him.
“Dax.” Rhys grabbed Dax’s arm to hold him back for another moment. He needed to let his fellow K9 officer in on something else. “There’s one other thing.”
“How can there be more?” Dax arched an eyebrow at him.
“It’s about Jordan. She’s with me, and I have a strong reason to believe that we find Huff, we are going to find Jordan,” he said.
Dax stared at him for a second before realization dawned in his eyes. Then that predator look appeared in his dark gaze. Rhys would be able to count on him.
“We’re going to get her back,” Dax said.
They turned and went back over to the US Marshals.
“We have our orders. Newman, you will be with my team. Timbrell, you will be with Thompson’s team,” Sampson stated, pointing to another Marshal. “We are going to fan out and sweep this area by foot. They couldn’t have gotten far. All private planes and helicopters have been grounded.”
Rhys folded his arms. He could barely concentrate on what was being discussed. If Bravon got his hands on Jordan, it wouldn’t end well. His gut was screaming that he needed to find her ASAP. He just wanted her home with him, and it was going to happen.
The second he got her safe and sound, he was officially making her his. No more waiting. Jordan was going to be taking his last name.
“All right, men. Let’s break up and go. These are dangerous fugitives we are pursuing. Stay alert and in contact. If you find them, radio in for backup,” Sampson said.
The teams began to break up and form small groups.
Rhys turned to Dax. Nothing had to be said between the two of them. The missing officers were going to be found.
Rhys and Honor trudged over the rocky and hilly terrain as they made their way through the woods. They were about a few miles away from the prison. According to their intel, the area of the blast had been one of concern. Their team consisted of seven men and a woman along with Honor. Rhys had been introduced to them, but he hadn’t remembered their names. He was too focused on the mission at hand.
He was strapped with plenty of weapons, ready to go into a small civil war. Honor was in her prime. The dog was sharp and alert. She had zeroed in that this was an important mission.
“Well, I’ll be damned. How is this not on the blueprints of the prison?” Sampson muttered.
They broke through a clearing at the top of the hill. A door stood built into what appeared to be rock and earth. Rhys walked around it and studied it. He pulled a flashlight out and stood in the doorway, shining his light at it. An agent was behind him with his gun drawn, pointing at the doorway.
Nothing.
Rhys moved forward, guiding Honor closer to him so he could get a better look.
“This was definitely the explosion we heard,” Rhys announced.
The stairwell was deep, and at the bottom of it, there was nothing but rubble and dirt. Whoever was trying to get out would certainly be trapped underground.
Was Jordan down there?
Had she made it out?
“Jones, call this in,” Sampson said.
Honor’s low growl drew Rhys’s attention. The dog sniffed the ground. Something was activating her. She didn’t do her normal sitting response when she found explosives. That was the one thing she had been trained to sniff out.
No, she was getting excited and barked. She tugged on her leash and tried to lead him away from the blast site.
“What is it, girl?” he asked. What was she picking up?
“What’s going on, Newman?” Sampson asked.
“Honor is picking something up. I’m going to let her follow it,” Rhys announced. He was going to trust his dog and allow her to lead. She had rarely missed when it came to searching. If she was this focused on a scent, then it was worth following up on.
Rhys didn’t wait for Sampson to confirm. He immediately released her leash so she could have more leeway. Honor trotted away from the group.
“Evans, Marks. Go with Newman. I’ll follow in a minute,” Sampson’s voice carried out behind Rhys.
He and Honor had already begun to follow an overgrown path.
“What is it, girl?” Rhys asked. He ignored the two agents who were traipsing behind him.
Honor set her pace. She was almost frantic now with her head to the ground and her nose taking in all the scents.
Honor replied with a bark and tugged harder on her leash to lead him down this path.
“What do you think she is following?” the female agent asked.
Rhys tried to remember her name, but he thought it was Evans.
“The way she’s acting, I’m thinking it’s someone,” he replied gruffly. Now that he thought about it, she must have picked up Jordan’s scent. If she had, he just sent up a prayer that they found Jordan before Bravon got to her.
“So we are not going on a wild goose chase?” Marks snorted.
Honor paused at a tree and sniffed. Rhys whipped his gaze to the agent. What did he just say?
“You can turn around and go back,” Rhys growled. How dare this agent doubt the nose of a highly trained K9 officer.
Honor barked and pulled him down the path again. With the way she was acting, he was quite sure she had picked up Jordan’s scent. The day Jordan and Honor played hide and go seek came to mind. Honor definitely knew how to find her other human.
“I didn’t mean to offend. I’m just saying how do we know what we are going after? What if she’s tracking an animal?” Marks said.
“Marks, just leave it?—”
Rhys spun on his heel and tugged Honor’s leash close to him to keep her from trying to go farther. He stepped up to the US Marshal. Marks was shorter than Rhys. He narrowed his eyes on the agent.
“Again, you are more than welcome to leave. Honor wouldn’t steer me wrong.”
Honor barked and tried to tug herself away, but Rhys kept a firm grip on her leash while he glared at Marks. The agent held up his hands and took a step back. He was young, and by the looks of it, still wet behind the ears.
“Marks, cut the crap. Let Newman do his job. The dogs were brought in for a reason,” Evans said. She glared at the agent as well.
“My bad. Just ignore me.” Marks swallowed hard. He barked a nervous laugh and took a step back away from Rhys.
If this was how all Marshals were, then they were in a world of trouble. What Rhys wouldn’t give to have Zayden, Dax, or Arlo by his side. Hell, any of the K9 team at this point. They were all experienced men and wouldn’t be doubting anything that he had decided.
Rhys grunted and spun on his heel. Honor was tugging hard on the leash. He allowed her to go, and she practically sprinted ahead of him, yanking his arm. With her nose to the ground, she kept going with Rhys behind her. He cut her a little slack and allowed her to go farther on the leash. She zipped over to bushes and pawed at the ground and dragged something from underneath the brush.
Rhys froze for a moment. What the hell was that?
Was that blood?
Fuck.
Honor sniffed the blood-soaked item.
“Shit. Is that blood?” Evans murmured.
Rhys didn’t respond. He moved beside Honor and knelt. His blood ran cold.
It was a pair of socks knotted together covered in blood. Honor barked again and sat as she would when she detected explosives.
It was sign.
She’d found her other human.
“What is it?” Marks asked.
“A pair of socks. Someone tied them in a knot,” he replied. He was almost certain these were Jordan’s. But who the hell was bleeding? Were they still alive? He didn’t want to think of any other scenario of finding Jordan but of her being alive. He stood to his full height and glanced around, scanning the area. How far could they have gone? Desperation clawed at him. He needed to find Jordan.
Rhys gazed down at Honor who was sitting at his feet and eyeing him. He bent down and unhooked her leash. He wouldn’t do this any other time, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The dog would be able to move faster without being held back on a leash.
“Where’s Jordan?” Rhys asked.
Honor hopped up to her feet with her tail wagging. She gave another bark and danced in place. He rubbed her head. He just prayed this worked.
“Go find Jordan!”
Honor immediately took off into the woods. He pulled his gun out of its holster and turned on his heel to follow her.
“Who is Jordan?” Marks asked.
Rhys ignored him and went after his partner. He didn’t care if the Marshals followed him. He had his woman to save.