Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“The auction will continue for the next three hours. Then, the winner will pick her up within an hour after that.”
She had four hours. Maybe not even that long. The guys must not have known where she was. They wouldn’t be able to find her before the deal was finalized.
Thank God he’d stayed up in the air, searching the area until his fuel tank had run dangerously low. Heading back to Danger Bluff, he’d risked one last foray in the opposite direction. There, he’d spotted a white van tucked almost completely under the shelter of a lean-to by a decrepit warehouse. Shiny new internet cables reflected his banked lights. Thick bundles of power and connectivity flowed through a window, and there was a glow from lights inside. A funny feeling in the pit of his stomach told him this was not just some homeless encampment. He needed to investigate further.
Not wanting to clue in the men holding Zara, he’d been unwilling to risk hovering over the area in the helicopter. Something flying overhead would’ve seemed normal enough. A helicopter hovering over the warehouse would’ve attracted attention. After relaying the coordinates, he’d forced himself to take the helicopter back to Danger Bluff.
“Meet me at the helicopter pad.”
The team minus Rocco were all waiting for him by the time he parked. They were dressed in all black. Rocco, already in caretaker mode with the two traumatized Littles, had stayed back at the resort to keep them from harm.
“Here, change as you talk,” Caesar ordered, holding out a pair of black pants and a black jacket.
“Magnus has the location pinpointed. It’s a hot spot of communication relays. Something is definitely going on there,” Phoenix reported.
“We go in and look around,” Kestrel announced as he changed.
“Gathering information is smart. You’re going to have trouble not diving into the action,” Phoenix warned.
“Worry more that this bucket of bolts won’t fall apart on the way,” Kestrel warned as he patted a hand on the SUV.
“Phoenix is a wizard with mechanical things. It may look like it belongs in the dump, but this has more power than a sportscar,” Caesar said.
Shaking his head, Kestrel climbed into the SUV. The purr of the motor as Phoenix started it told him everything he needed to know. They traversed the darkened streets and arrived at the warehouse.
“Do you need to stay with the vehicle?” Magnus asked.
“That’s not going to happen,” Kestrel stated firmly.
“Two people in to scout. Wear your comms,” Magnus said, handing everyone an earpiece.
“I’m going with you,” Hawking said to Kestrel as he fitted his earpiece into place.
“Thanks.”
The two men shimmied up a drain pipe and let themselves in through a hole in the roof. From their position above, they were able to see eight guys stationed around the inside of the warehouse and two at the door. Kestrel tensed as he watched a man lead Zara to a large room and bind her in place.
Even though they couldn’t hear clearly what was said, there was no mistaking what was happening. When a man moved to strike her, Kestrel lunged forward.
Grabbing a handful of his black jacket, Hawking held Kestrel back until he got control of his anger. Then they lurked in the darkness of the abandoned warehouse. Consumed with hate, Kestrel forced himself to shift his focus to Hawking. The large man shook his head and nodded back the way they’d come. Dragging himself away from the crumpled form of Zara now leaning against the wall, Kestrel led the way back onto the roof and down to the ground.
“Ten guys in the warehouse,” Hawking reported, taking the lead while Kestrel pulled himself together.
“And one more at the door and another in the van,” Magnus added. “I made a loop around the building, looking for tech. All the power is coming through that window. Unfortunately, those last two guys are virtually standing on top of it.”
“We need to take that out so the rescue isn’t broadcast all over. Any ideas, Magnus?” Hawking asked.
“Sure. An electronic blocker can stop the transmission from here, but they’ll know immediately that a rescue effort is underway,” Magnus pointed out.
“So, we take care of the inside guys who are outside the televised room, one by one. Then, we cut it just before we eliminate the guys close to the live feed,” Phoenix suggested.
“That’s the way to do it,” Magnus agreed.
“I’m going inside,” Kestrel declared. The others knew there was no way he wasn’t going to be in range of Zara.
“Outside,” Phoenix chose.
“Inside,” Magnus said.
“Inside,” Hawking called out.
“Outside,” Caesar said last.
They split up and strategized. Kestrel didn’t waste time. He asserted his intentions and retraced his steps to the roof. The others followed quickly.
His first target? The man who’d barely restrained himself from slapping Zara. Finding him from above, Kestrel thought furiously about how to get the jerk away from the area.