Chapter 21 #3
“Because Eleanor was right to leave. This place . . .” She shook her head. “It’s not what it was meant to be. Not anymore.”
Sully studied her face, finding no deception there. “Thank you.”
“Go. And when you find her, get her as far away from here as possible.”
Sully turned toward the game trail, then paused. “There’s a girl in the cells. Maria.”
“I know about her.”
“We’re coming back for her.”
Lindy’s expression hardened. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“It’s not a promise. It’s a fact.” Sully held her gaze. “We’re coming back and there will be a lot of us.”
Something like hope flickered in Lindy’s eyes. She nodded once.
He paused. “Is Spencer Barnes here?”
Her face tightened even more. “No, he never came back. He knows better. They’ll kill him if he shows his face here.”
“He’s got a BOLO out on him. He’ll be captured soon.”
“I know.” A tear leaked out and trailed down her cheek. “He’s my brother. They told him if he didn’t do what they wanted, they’d make sure I suffered.”
“Once he’s taken into custody, your testimony can help him.”
She bit her lip and nodded again. “Please make sure that happens.”
“Can you do us a favor?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “What?”
“Get into the power station here and shut it down?”
She paled. “Um . . .”
“We need the jammers out of commission. Some of the batteries around the ranch are dying, but the jammers around the compound have to be running on power from that station.”
“They are.”
“I need them down so my team and I can communicate.”
“If they catch me, I’m dead.”
“I know,” Sully said. “And I’m . . .” He paused and pressed a hand to his head. He really shouldn’t ask her to risk her life, but . . . He dropped his hand. “I don’t want to ask, but if I don’t and if you don’t try, more people may die. Including your friend Eleanor.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “I’ll try.” She faded back into the forest.
Sully took the game trail, moving as fast as the rough terrain allowed. The gunfire had stopped, but that didn’t reassure him. If anything, the silence worried him.
The path climbed steeply, winding through dense pines. His breathing grew labored, but he pushed himself harder, ignoring the burning in his lungs. Somewhere ahead, Elena was fighting for her life. Every second counted.
The trail crested a ridge, and the trees thinned. Sully dropped to a crouch, surveying the area below. The mine entrance was visible now—a dark hole in the hillside. Flashlight beams swept the area.
Too late. They’d reached the mine before him.
Sully tried his radio again. Still nothing but static. He was too close to the compound, the jammers too powerful. Please, God, let Lindy Grace do this.
So. He had a choice. He could continue to the mine and try to help Elena, while being outnumbered and outgunned. Or he could retreat beyond the jammers’ range to call for backup.
Elena was capable, resourceful. If anyone could evade capture in those tunnels, it was her. But she couldn’t fight an army alone.
She needed backup. They both did.
Sully turned and sprinted back down the ridge, pushing his body to its limits. The fastest route away from the jammers’ influence would be south, toward the ranch. Once clear, he could bring in the full force of the FBI tactical team waiting just beyond the compound’s perimeter.
“Hang on, Elena,” he whispered. “I’m coming back for you.”
The path dipped sharply, and Sully nearly lost his footing. He caught himself against a tree trunk. Behind him, shouting echoed from the direction of the mine. He couldn’t make out the words, but the urgency in the voices chilled him.
They’d either found Elena or lost her trail in the mine. Sully pushed on, each step carrying him farther from Elena but closer to the help she desperately needed.
He focused on the path ahead. The compound’s lights were no longer visible through the trees. He had to be getting close to the jammers’ range.
Sully pressed the transmit button again. “Agent Sullivan to command. Do you copy?”
Static crackled, then a voice broke through, distorted but recognizable. “Command to Sullivan. We read you. What’s your status?”
Oh, thank you, Jesus. “I need immediate backup at the abandoned mine northeast of the compound. Elena Thompson has managed to escape the preppers but is being pursued by multiple hostiles.”
“Copy that. Alpha and Bravo standing by. What’s your position?”
“I’m heading back to the mine. It’s approximately half a mile northeast of the compound, up the ridge.”
“Understood. We’ll mobilize immediately. But we should rendezvous at the extraction point.”
“Negative. No time. Proceed directly to the mine.” Sully paused, catching his breath. “And we’ll need a team at the compound. We have probable cause to believe they’re holding a minor against her will.”
“Copy that. ETA ten minutes. Just received word that Spencer Barnes has been picked up and is being held at the jail in Whitestone.”
“Thought he was headed in the opposite direction.”
“Must have doubled back. Whatever the reason, he’s in custody.”
“Excellent.”
Sully turned back toward the mine. Help was on the way. Now he just needed to find Elena before the preppers did.