Chapter 18 #2
It was quiet when she arrived. Most of the ranch hands had returned and were helping with repairs after the drone attack. Elena saddled Harley, murmuring reassurances as the horse sensed her tension.
“Let’s do this, boy. We’ve got a reunion to get to.” She hoped.
She had no idea what would happen at the meeting place but hungered to hug her father and sister again.
Elena took the trail that headed north around the lake, avoiding the main house and repair crews. The path wound through dense forest before opening to rolling hills. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the landscape as she urged Harley into a steady trot.
While she rode, she crafted dialogue in her mind, then tossed it.
She had no idea what she would say to her father.
To Iris. Years of imagined conversations evaporated.
She was excited and yet a little angry too.
After all, what did you say to someone who ran from you when you saw them in town?
She bit her lip at that memory, but it made sense if Iris felt threatened.
Scared to approach her. The anger fizzled. The excitement remained.
An hour later, Elena dismounted not far from the clearing where she and Sully had spied on the meeting between the preppers and the mob. She secured Harley to a tree with enough slack to graze, then checked her watch.
Definitely early.
She moved down the trail and positioned herself behind a large oak with an unobstructed view of the clearing. The firepit held the remains of cold ashes. Her lids grew heavy, her sleep-deprived body finally able to relax. Okay, fine. She’d take a short nap. If anyone came, she’d hear them.
Sully pulled into the ranch’s main gate, fatigue pressing down on his shoulders. The last twenty-four hours had been brutal, and his emotions were all over the place with Piper’s betrayal, Ollie’s flight and rescue, not to mention the shoot-out in the woods.
He parked near the main house and stepped out, scanning the property for any sign of Elena.
David, Maya, and Gideon met him at the door, their faces tense with questions. “Well?” Maya asked.
“Amato confessed,” Sully said. “It’s kind of what we figured out. The mob and the preppers are definitely working together.”
“Okay. And?” Maya asked.
“LaVoy Hawthorne. He’s a prepper—or I suppose I should say former prepper—and also Bellini’s cousin.
He has connections to the prepper community, so when Bellini wanted Ollie silenced before she could testify, LaVoy contacted his resources at the compound, and they were all in.
Lots of money. He says he has no idea about how Elena is connected or why someone would try to grab her. ”
Gideon shook his head. “Any word on Hannah?”
“Amato confirmed they have her, but he doesn’t know where. The FBI’s putting together a task force. What about the signal jammers?” Sully asked.
“We found three so far,” David said. “Military grade. Someone spent serious money on this operation.”
“Cell service is still spotty,” Maya added. “Works in some areas, dead in others. Your FBI buddies are out looking for them with their special equipment. And once the batteries start dying, the signal will return as well.”
“Where’s Elena?” Sully scanned the yard again.
David frowned. “I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“I left her here when I went to interrogate Amato.” A knot formed in Sully’s stomach.
“I saw her for a short time after you got back from rescuing Ollie, but it’s been a couple of hours,” Gideon said.
Sully turned toward the gate. “Let me check with the officer on duty.”
The officer looked up at his approach. “Agent Sullivan.”
“Have you seen Elena Thompson?”
“Yes, sir. A young girl came to see her earlier. Brought her a note.”
The knot in Sully’s stomach grew. “What girl?”
“Teenager. Maybe fifteen? Said she needed to speak with Miss Thompson specifically. I searched her and the horse. No weapons. Seemed harmless enough. I spotted Elena at the barn and waved her over.”
“What happened after?”
“They talked privately, then the girl left. Miss Thompson read the note and went toward the barn, then the main house. Haven’t seen her since.”
“Did you get the girl’s name?”
“No, sir. She didn’t offer, and even if she had, I have no way of knowing if it’s her real one. She didn’t have any ID on her.”
“What did the note say?”
“Don’t know. Elena put it in her pocket.”
“Thanks.” Sully jogged around the main house toward Elena’s entrance, the sense of dread building with each step.
The door was unlocked. Inside, everything looked normal. Her bed was made. Kitchen clean. No signs of struggle. Thank you for that, God.
Sully turned toward the counter and spotted a folded piece of paper. He snatched it up.
Gone to meet my father and Iris. They want out. Don’t worry, not going to the compound. Back after dark. Probably late. -E
“No, no, no.” Sully crumpled the note in his fist. After everything they’d learned, she’d gone alone?
While she’d thought everything was related to her initially, after the attempt on Ollie’s life, Elena no doubt thought it was all over.
In spite of not being able to explain someone trying to snatch her off her horse—or who the intruder was at the ranch.
He sprinted to the barn, nearly colliding with a ranch hand.
“Whoa, easy there,” the man said.
“Harley. Is Harley in his stall?”
The man shook his head. “Miss Thompson took him out a couple hours ago. Headed north.”
North. Toward the prepper community. Toward danger. She wanted to reconnect so badly with her family she wasn’t thinking straight. And the truth was, her family might be harmless. But someone in the group wanted to hurt her, and they were involved with the preppers.
Sully pulled out his phone. No signal. He ran back to the main house where David and Maya had walked out onto the porch. “Elena’s gone,” he said, holding up the crumpled note. “She went to meet her father and sister. Someone from the prepper community brought her the message.”
Maya took the note and read it. “After everything that’s happened, she went alone?”
“She thinks she knows these people. That they won’t hurt her.” Sully paced the porch. “But we know some of them were working with Bellini. This could be a trap. We need to track her. She took Harley and headed north about two hours ago.”
“Jim Small can help,” David said. “He’s a tracker. Served three tours in Afghanistan. If anyone can find her trail, it’s him.”
“Get him,” Sully said. “And I need a horse.”
“Take Maverick,” Maya said. “He’s fast and knows the trails.”
“I’ll come with you,” David said. “Two of my men are still here. They’ll help us look for her.”
Sully nodded. “I’m calling in reinforcements as well. They’ll come with vehicles and meet us at a designated area just in case things go south. Let’s move. If this is a trap, we don’t have much time.”
“The note said she’d be back after dark, maybe late,” Maya said.
“We’re not waiting,” Sully said. “Not with Bellini’s people possibly involved.”
Within fifteen minutes, they assembled at the trailhead. Jim examined the ground. “Horse passed through here. Looks like she was moving at a steady pace. Doesn’t seem to be in a hurry.”
“Can you follow the trail?” Sully asked.
Jim nodded. “Clear as day. Recent snow left tracks. She seems to be heading toward the old Forest Service road that borders the prepper property.”
Sully checked his weapon and radio. “If we hit a jammer zone, we’ll lose contact. Meet back here if we get separated.”
He urged Maverick forward, following Jim’s lead. The forest closed around them, shadows deepening as the afternoon waned.
His thoughts raced. Why would Elena go alone? She was smart, trained. But also overconfident about how well she knew the prepper group. And family complicated everything.
If anything happened to her . . .
No. He wouldn’t think that way. He’d find her. Bring her home. Keep her safe.
Because somewhere along the way, between gunfights and bomb threats and midnight conversations, Elena Thompson had become more than just someone to protect. She’d become essential.
And Sully wasn’t about to lose her now.