Chapter 48
FORTY-EIGHT
“Tell me again how accurate this is.”
I leaned against my truck and stared off at the patch of thick forest. The signal had lead us here, but this was the end of the road. If we wanted to get any closer, we’d have to go on foot. As Laurel and Tomas talked in the truck, I stayed outside, needing the cold, crisp air to keep me calm. My eyes scanned the tree line at the end of the dirt road, trying to see what was lurking in the distance. But between the late hour and the starless night, it might as well be another planet. Nothing could break through. All we had was a dot on a computer screen, a dot in the middle of the forest the only key to finding my wife.
“Normally, it’s within a 2-meter radius,” Tomas sighed from the back seat of my truck, typing on his keyboard as Laurel and I tried to figure out how to track Devyn down. “But up here? With these trees blocking the signal? Could be closer to ten. If I could get into the government link-ups, it would be dead on, but we don’t have that kind of time.”
Laurel arched her brow. “Government satellites? Is there anything legal about your operation? ”
“Define legal,” Tomas smirked. “We straddle the line, but my morals override the law?. If the choice is between someone’s life and staying on the right side of the law, I know what I’m picking every time.”
“Focus,” I bit out. “Give me an area, and I’ll find her. But we gotta move faster.”
With only a few more minutes left until the deadline, this was our last chance. Before we left the apartment, we’d made sure David’s binds were solid then left him with Theo and Calla to wait for the authorities. Despite Laurel’s insistence that she was going to turn everything over to her stepfather, she had no plans to let him get away with his decades of crimes. Not only did she record his confession about her father’s murder, but she’d also scanned all the damning documents and sent them to the right people. Maybe it wouldn’t be enough for formal charges, but we’d done enough of the legwork to make the case stick. It was out of our hands.
Now, I just needed my wife to close this chapter.
“About one mile north,” Tomas finally said as he closed his laptop and grabbed his gear. “We’d get there faster if we drove, but I don’t want to let this guy know we’re coming.”
I was just about to agree when movement flickered through the darkness—a person running through the trees. Without a second thought, I took off. The terrain was steep and littered with rocks and roots, but I kept my head forward, grateful for my years of cardio. I didn’t care if it ended up being nothing; I’d rather risk that than lose Devyn for good.
As I burst through one copse of trees, the figure ahead came into view as he leaned against a tree trunk. It took me a moment to recognize him as Devyn’s ex, the one I thought I’d scared off months ago. But here he was, breathing the same air as my wife. My fingers itched, desperate to get a hold of him.
I took a step forward, but Jack pulled something from his phone. A dot flickered on the screen. Was he tracking someone? Was he tracking Devyn? Pride spilled into my chest. That’s my girl . If he needed to track her, it meant she’d gotten away from him.
“Come on, angel,” Jack sighed, his voice weary with exertion. “I know you’re around here somewhere.”
He moved again, holding up the tracker like it was a compass leading him to gold. While he searched for Devyn, I found the largest branch and positioned myself behind him. One hit, one snap, and all of this would be over.
But before I could swing out, my foot caught a branch on the ground. The audible snap echoed through the woods, and Jack went still. He slowly turned, smirking when he met my eyes. “Figured it out, did you?”
Clutching the thick branch, I moved closer. “Pretty fucking pathetic, trying to frame David. Should have known he only cares about himself. You were never getting your payday.”
Jack chuckled and ran his hand over his face. “Is that what you think this was all about? Money?”
“How it looks from here.”
“It’s about respect,” Jack shouted, slamming his palm to his chest. “That whole fucking family tried to ruin me, and what? I was supposed to move on?” He chuckled as he glanced at the remote. “Never going to happen. Devyn needs to pay for what she did to me.”
“You touch her, and I will destroy you,” I growled. I lunged and tried to grab Jack, but he slipped past me. I might have had him in size, but he had me in speed. He darted through the trees .
As I started to run after him, Tomas came out of the woods, holding up a tranquilizer gun. “Where the fuck did you get that?” I snapped.
“Go bag.” He shrugged. “Which way did he go?”
I nodded, following his directions. The forest was eerily quiet, as if the universe knew I needed to focus. I leaned against one tree and closed my eyes, hoping for some sign of Devyn or Jack. As I breathed in slowly, Jack made his move and darted out in front of my hiding place. This time, there was nowhere for him to go.
I used my full force to collide with him, sending both of us into the dirt. The tracker flew out of his hand, far enough that I couldn't see it, but Jack tried to reach for it, desperately pulling at the ground beneath us.
Anger coursed through my veins, a feral need to protect my wife. Because as long as he couldn’t find her, she was safe. At least, safer than she’d be in his hands. I didn’t know what Jack planned to do with Devyn once he caught her. I wasn’t going to take that chance.
My knee collided with his stomach, and he wheezed out a shaky breath. He tried to kick me off him, but I rolled with his move, using his momentum to get us face-to-face. I grabbed his jacket and slammed his head into the dirt. “Where is she?”
“Probably bleeding out in the woods,” Jack spat at me. “You’ll never find her without the tracker.”
My gaze darted up, desperate to find the small device. As soon as I loosened my grasp, Jack threw a punch, knocking me in the jaw. It was enough to startle me, creating just enough room for him to get out from underneath me. Jack scrambled through the brush, finding the remote before my vision cleared. He smirked as he held it out in front of me .
“You know, I had something else planned for Devyn, but I think this might be even better.” He dropped the device to the ground, then used the heel of his foot to smash it into small shards. “Now, she’ll die out here, all alone, and there’s nothing you can do to find her.”
A roar came from the pit of my stomach, a sound I’d never made before. It was anger. It was grief. It was years of longing crashing over all my senses, eliminating everything but the threat in front of me. Nothing mattered, nothing in this world compared to Devyn. I’d stain my soul forever if it meant she’d get to spend the rest of her days in peace.
Jack tried to run, but I was too fast, fueled by uncontainable rage. I knocked him back into the dirt then climbed on top of his chest. He tried to shove off me, but I wouldn’t budge, not when I planned to keep all my earlier promises. His nose crunched with the first hit of my fist, blood and other fluids seeping out of it. Jack’s pained cries filled the surrounding woods, but I didn’t care, taking out every moment of stress and anger on his rotten body. The man tried to hurt my wife, tried to take her away from me. In my mind, he deserved a slow, agonizing death.
My fist lowered again and again, until his entire face was stained with blood. I was about to hit him again when someone called out in the darkness. “I’ve got her!”
Relief washed through me like a tsunami, leaving only need in its wake. I looked down at Jack. As the red faded out of my vision, I reached down and checked his pulse. It was there but weakened. “Fuck,” I hissed as I climbed off him. “Don’t you even think about going anywhere, or I’ll come back and finish the job.”
With that, I burst through the woods, not stopping until I found Tomas huddled next to a tree. There was a small bundle wrapped up in a silver emergency blanket. Tomas’ eyes widened as he looked down at my cracked and frayed knuckles. He arched a brow, and I shook my head. “Don’t ask.”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” Tomas answered, standing to give me some space. “I’ll head back that way and make sure he doesn’t go anywhere.” He pulled out his phone and called Laurel, letting her know we found Devyn.
I nodded my head in thanks, unable to form any other words as I stared down at my wife. When Tomas backed away, I sank to my knees and ran the back of my fingers down her cheek.
“Gray?” Devyn murmured. Her voice was much weaker than usual, but it was there. I didn’t hesitate, pulling her into my arms. Tears spilled down my cheeks as the emotions and fears I’d suppressed finally erupted. She leaned back, her fingers tracing the lines of my face. “I knew you’d find me.”
“Always,” I promised as I took her hand in mine. Dirt covered her fingers and nails, but I didn’t care. I wanted to kiss each one, wanted to promise I would always be there, no matter where life took us. “Are you okay, Ace?”
She nodded. “My ankle’s a little messed up, but I’m okay. I just need a long shower and the biggest burger ever to fill my stomach.”
I shifted the blanket back and lifted her jeans to examine her ankle. It was badly swollen, the skin red and torn. I ran my fingers along it, and Devyn winced. “First, we’re getting this checked out, and then you can have as much food as you want.”
Devyn rolled her eyes, giving me a tired smile. “Are you always this bossy?”
“Only when it comes to you, Ace.” I leaned forward, kissing her forehead. I leaned back and searched her eyes. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“You’re here,” she breathed as I stood and lifted her into my arms. “I’m always okay when you’re around.”
“That’s good to know,” I chuckled, starting the trek back to the truck. “Because you’re stuck with me, wife, for a long, long time.”