“You do know they’re not going to let him go?” Jace said, as I picked up the palm-size gadget.
“Of course they won’t. They’ll kill him the moment I walk through the door.” I pressed a button on the side to “wake” the tracker, and a map appeared on-screen. “Which is why you and Dan have to go in through the back and get him out while I make a fuss in the front.”
Jace crossed his arms over his chest while Dan and Carver watched us both closely. “Don’t you think they’ll be expecting that?”
“Yes.” I looked up and met Jace’s eyes, showing him the steady determination in mine. “They’ll be expecting it in an hour, at Kevin’s house. Which is why we’re going to hit them twenty minutes from now. At Peter Yarnell’s.”
“What? Why Pete’s?” Dan’s eyebrows drew together in a deep frown. Dread, if I had my guess. If he and Pete had ever been friends in the past, they never would be again, after our little chat with Yarnell the day before.
“Because that’s where they are now.” I held up the tracker for them all to squint at. “And they won’t be expecting Dan, because his microchip is still at the ranch.” The guys looked surprised at that little reminder, and Dan even looked a little relieved.
But then Jace frowned and rubbed his forehead with one hand. “That’s assuming Kevin has Eckard’s microchip with him.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” I set my bag on the folding chair and dug through it, mentally inventorying the supplies. We wouldn’t need most of them, now that we wouldn’t be hiking through the woods, but it never hurt to be overprepared. “Kevin has no idea we know about the chips, and he won’t until he gets home.”
“What if he’s on the way there now?” Dr. Carver asked, a can of Coke halfway to his mouth.
“He isn’t.” I showed him the electronic map again, where Eckard’s blip was still sitting pretty at Yarnell’s house. “And if he leaves while we’re en route, we’ll follow them. At the very least, we’ll still catch them half an hour early, and hopefully off guard.” I zipped the bag and threw it over my shoulder. “But we have to move now. Let’s go!”
“Wait.” Jace grabbed my arm, and I would have pulled away from him if not for the naked fear in his eyes. Fear for me. “You can’t just walk in there. Especially at Yarnell’s house. He’s out for your blood.”
Shit. Ethan must have told him I’d lost control with Yarnell, because I hadn’t told anyone. I tugged my arm gently from his grip, trying to soften the gesture with direct eye contact. “Kevin won’t let him kill me.”
“That’s assuming Kevin can stop him. And even if he can, they’re probably both eager to take you down a peg or two.”
“Jace, I can handle myself, and I can take a punch, if necessary. And as soon as you guys get away with Marc, I’ll make a run for it, and you can double back and pick me up.” I shrugged and smiled, trying to convince him that my plan was brilliant and foolproof. When it was really just desperate. But I saw no other choice. I was not going to gamble with Marc’s life.
“Wow. How could that possibly go wrong?” Jace’s words dripped sarcasm, but I only blinked at him.
“It’ll work because it has to work. And if not, we fight. We’ve certainly done that before.” He opened his mouth to argue some more, but I pressed one finger to his lips, ignoring the jump I heard in his pulse. “Please, Jace. Don’t argue with me. Just help me. I can’t lose Marc, too.”
Finally, he nodded, and I removed my finger, now warm from the heat of his lips. “Fine. But Dan will have to get Marc out, because I’m not leaving without you. Even if I wanted to, Marc will kill me if we both outlive you.”
I smiled; he was right. “Fair enough. Help Dan get Marc out the door, then stay and fight with me. That’ll make it easier for us to take Kevin alive. But for now, please take this to the car and grab the tools from Marc’s trunk. Anything that’ll work as a weapon. I’ll be there in two minutes.”
While the guys threw the supplies into the back of the Pathfinder, I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, trying to find confidence and courage in the face looking back at me. Marc had saved my ass countless times, risking his own life for mine without a second thought. It was my turn to step up, and I would not go home without him.
Only mildly fortified by my private pep talk, I splashed cold water on my face, then grabbed my travel mug on my way out the door, dialing Vic as I went. “We found Marc,” I said, as soon as he answered his phone.
Vic exhaled heavily in relief. “Where?”
“Kevin Mitchell has him at Peter Yarnell’s house.” I gave him the address, and hoped he had something to write it on. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes. Meet us there as soon as you can. I have a feeling it’s gonna get ugly.”
“No problem. But it’ll take us a good hour to get there, by the time we get out of the woods.”
“I know. Just hurry.” We hung up, and I shoved my phone back into my pocket as I pulled open the front passenger door.
“You should give your dad an update,” Dr. Carver said, as I slid onto the seat and pulled the door closed.
Warm air buffeted me from the vents, and I sipped from my mug to hide my face. “I just did.”
“And he’s okay with this?”
“Of course they won’t. They’ll kill him the moment I walk through the door.” I pressed a button on the side to “wake” the tracker, and a map appeared on-screen. “Which is why you and Dan have to go in through the back and get him out while I make a fuss in the front.”
Jace crossed his arms over his chest while Dan and Carver watched us both closely. “Don’t you think they’ll be expecting that?”
“Yes.” I looked up and met Jace’s eyes, showing him the steady determination in mine. “They’ll be expecting it in an hour, at Kevin’s house. Which is why we’re going to hit them twenty minutes from now. At Peter Yarnell’s.”
“What? Why Pete’s?” Dan’s eyebrows drew together in a deep frown. Dread, if I had my guess. If he and Pete had ever been friends in the past, they never would be again, after our little chat with Yarnell the day before.
“Because that’s where they are now.” I held up the tracker for them all to squint at. “And they won’t be expecting Dan, because his microchip is still at the ranch.” The guys looked surprised at that little reminder, and Dan even looked a little relieved.
But then Jace frowned and rubbed his forehead with one hand. “That’s assuming Kevin has Eckard’s microchip with him.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” I set my bag on the folding chair and dug through it, mentally inventorying the supplies. We wouldn’t need most of them, now that we wouldn’t be hiking through the woods, but it never hurt to be overprepared. “Kevin has no idea we know about the chips, and he won’t until he gets home.”
“What if he’s on the way there now?” Dr. Carver asked, a can of Coke halfway to his mouth.
“He isn’t.” I showed him the electronic map again, where Eckard’s blip was still sitting pretty at Yarnell’s house. “And if he leaves while we’re en route, we’ll follow them. At the very least, we’ll still catch them half an hour early, and hopefully off guard.” I zipped the bag and threw it over my shoulder. “But we have to move now. Let’s go!”
“Wait.” Jace grabbed my arm, and I would have pulled away from him if not for the naked fear in his eyes. Fear for me. “You can’t just walk in there. Especially at Yarnell’s house. He’s out for your blood.”
Shit. Ethan must have told him I’d lost control with Yarnell, because I hadn’t told anyone. I tugged my arm gently from his grip, trying to soften the gesture with direct eye contact. “Kevin won’t let him kill me.”
“That’s assuming Kevin can stop him. And even if he can, they’re probably both eager to take you down a peg or two.”
“Jace, I can handle myself, and I can take a punch, if necessary. And as soon as you guys get away with Marc, I’ll make a run for it, and you can double back and pick me up.” I shrugged and smiled, trying to convince him that my plan was brilliant and foolproof. When it was really just desperate. But I saw no other choice. I was not going to gamble with Marc’s life.
“Wow. How could that possibly go wrong?” Jace’s words dripped sarcasm, but I only blinked at him.
“It’ll work because it has to work. And if not, we fight. We’ve certainly done that before.” He opened his mouth to argue some more, but I pressed one finger to his lips, ignoring the jump I heard in his pulse. “Please, Jace. Don’t argue with me. Just help me. I can’t lose Marc, too.”
Finally, he nodded, and I removed my finger, now warm from the heat of his lips. “Fine. But Dan will have to get Marc out, because I’m not leaving without you. Even if I wanted to, Marc will kill me if we both outlive you.”
I smiled; he was right. “Fair enough. Help Dan get Marc out the door, then stay and fight with me. That’ll make it easier for us to take Kevin alive. But for now, please take this to the car and grab the tools from Marc’s trunk. Anything that’ll work as a weapon. I’ll be there in two minutes.”
While the guys threw the supplies into the back of the Pathfinder, I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, trying to find confidence and courage in the face looking back at me. Marc had saved my ass countless times, risking his own life for mine without a second thought. It was my turn to step up, and I would not go home without him.
Only mildly fortified by my private pep talk, I splashed cold water on my face, then grabbed my travel mug on my way out the door, dialing Vic as I went. “We found Marc,” I said, as soon as he answered his phone.
Vic exhaled heavily in relief. “Where?”
“Kevin Mitchell has him at Peter Yarnell’s house.” I gave him the address, and hoped he had something to write it on. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes. Meet us there as soon as you can. I have a feeling it’s gonna get ugly.”
“No problem. But it’ll take us a good hour to get there, by the time we get out of the woods.”
“I know. Just hurry.” We hung up, and I shoved my phone back into my pocket as I pulled open the front passenger door.
“You should give your dad an update,” Dr. Carver said, as I slid onto the seat and pulled the door closed.
Warm air buffeted me from the vents, and I sipped from my mug to hide my face. “I just did.”
“And he’s okay with this?”
