Chapter 49
Scott Farm — Night
Burke’s truck turned hard onto Scott Valley Road, headlights cutting across rolling pasture and black Angus cattle scattered beneath the trees.
The old Scott farm came into view ahead—the white farmhouse, the wide porch, the red equipment barn, and the fence lines stretching toward the mountains.
Home. Maggie Scott stepped out onto the porch before the truck fully stopped, wiping her hands on a dish towel as a smile touched her face automatically.
Then she saw them. Saw Burke’s expression.
Saw Grant already reaching for the door before the truck stopped rolling, and the smile disappeared instantly.
“What’s wrong?”
Neither answered immediately.
“Where’s Dad?” Burke asked sharply.
Maggie blinked. “Back twenty-five fixing fence.” Her eyes moved between them now, fear rising. “Why? What happened?”
Burke was already moving.
“It’s okay, Mom.”
Which meant absolutely nothing was okay.
Grant jumped out, sprinted to the cattle gate, and yanked it open hard enough the chain clanged against the post.
Burke drove through without slowing.
Grant leapt back into the truck before the gate fully swung shut.
The truck tore across the pasture road toward the back acreage.
Burton Scott looked up from the fence line as the headlights bounced toward him.
Work gloves on.
Fence pliers still in hand.
The truck stopped hard.
Both sons got out fast.
Burton frowned immediately.
“What the hell’s going on?”
Burke walked straight toward him.
“Izzy Moreno’s been taken.”
Everything in Burton’s face changed.
Grant stepped in before Burke could say another word.
“We need to know every place Wade Hollis ever used for his business.”
Burton went completely still.
The mountains behind them faded into silence.
“What happened?” Burton asked quietly.
“Black SUV took her from Bridlepath,” Burke said. “Cal Hollis too.”
That landed.
Burton looked between his sons now and saw it clearly—
fear.
Real fear.
Grant stepped closer.
“You knew Hollis was dirty back then.” His voice was rough with anger. “You knew something was going on and you did nothing.”
Burton’s face hardened.
“That’s not true.”
"Then stop talking in circles and tell us where he'd take her."
A long silence settled over the pasture.
Wind moved through the grass around them.
Then Burton finally exhaled.
“Wade always kept land nobody knew about,” Burton said, looking toward the dark ridgeline before continuing. Burke went still. Grant frowned.
"Places he bought through other people. Places that never made sense on paper."
Burton looked toward the farmhouse.
"Come on."
* * *
Scott Farm — Ten Minutes Later
An old county map spread across the kitchen table beneath warm overhead light.
Burton stood over it with reading glasses low on his nose while Burke and Grant watched.
Maggie stood silently near the counter, arms folded tightly across herself.
Burton pointed toward the northern ridge.
“Back in the nineties, Hollis started buying land up here near the forestry preserve.” He tapped the map. “Claimed he was building a luxury subdivision tied into the country club. Custom mountain homes around the golf course.”
Grant frowned.
“But he never built it.”
“No.” Burton shook his head. “Roads got cut in. Utilities partially run. Then the whole thing stopped.”
Burke leaned closer.
“Remote?”
“Very.”
Burton pointed again.
“Only one road in. Mountain on one side. Preserve land on the other.”
Grant and Burke exchanged a look.
Perfect cover.
Then Burton slid his finger across the county map toward the opposite side of Sylva.
“This one bothered me more.”
Warehouses and storage units near Cullowhee.
“Commercial front,” Burton said. “Storage units, trucking access, warehouse space.” A beat. “If I were looking for something off the books, I’d start there.”
“You think Hollis still owns it?”
Burton nodded slowly.
“Wouldn’t surprise me.”
Burke immediately grabbed his phone.
“Scout.”
“Yeah.”
“I need eyes on a mountain property near the forestry preserve north of the country club. I’m sending coordinates now.”
“On it.”
Burke ended the call and dialed again.
“Luke, head toward the old storage facilities outside Cullowhee. Quiet approach. Call me if you see anything.”
After ending the call, he set the phone on the table.
Nobody spoke for a moment.
Burton studied the map, then tapped the northern tract again.
"Road was already cut in when I saw it last," he said quietly. "Power too. Cost somebody a fortune."
Maggie set a cup of coffee beside him. It sat untouched.
The kitchen felt too small.
Every minute that passed felt like another minute Izzy was getting farther away.
Grant paced once through the kitchen.
“I’m going to the mountain property.”
“No,” Burke said immediately.
Grant stopped cold.
“She’s up there somewhere.”
“And if you go storming in blind, you’ll get yourself killed.”
Grant looked ready to explode.
Before he could answer—
Burke’s phone rang.
Scout.
Burke answered instantly.
“What’ve you got?”
Static crackled briefly.
Then Scout’s calm voice came through.
“I found something.”
Everybody in the kitchen went still.
“There’s a metal building up here,” Scout continued. “Looks damn near identical to the one on Hollis property.”
Grant stepped closer.
Scout continued:
“And Burke…” A pause. “There’s a road cut through the ridge.”
Burke’s expression went unreadable.
“Landing strip?”
“Yeah.”
Silence.
Then—“The box truck’s here.”
Grant was already moving toward the door.
“This is it.”
Burke grabbed his keys.
“Call everybody,” he said sharply. “Full response.”
“I don’t need a warrant,” Grant snapped.
Burke turned on him instantly.
“Well, I do.”
The brothers locked eyes hard. Burke stepped closer. “We do this right, or we don’t do it at all.”
Grant looked ready to put his fist through the wall.
Burke didn’t back down. “You go charging up that mountain with your temper and no backup; you’ll get yourself shot before you ever reach her.” Grant’s chest rose hard with anger.
Burke lowered his voice.
“If you’re in this, you do it my way.”
A long beat.
Then finally—
Grant gave one sharp nod.
“Fine.”
But Burke knew his brother well enough to understand one thing clearly:
Grant Scott was barely holding himself together.