Page 63 of Blake

“Shit. Any leads?” Blake asked.

“Nothing but someone is injured as there’s blood in the hallway that can’t belong to Pete.”

“Okay, I’m calling Decker. Stay off your phone. I’ll call you straight back.” Blake hung up and called Decker and explained. “The cabin is our best lead. Send me the address and wait for us to get there before you approach.”

He called Waggs to re-route him to the cabin and then did the same with Reid. The drive was tense as they were lost in their own thoughts. He couldn’t do the thing he wanted most—which was to drop Grace somewhere safe and go find Clark. He respected her, and she would never allow it.

They were met by Decker and Waggs on the road about a mile out from the cabin, the two men looking every inch the operators they were. Both dressed in black combat pants, black long sleeved shirts, and black military boots. Only their faces were visible along with the diver’s watches they wore.

“We have eyes on them?” Blake said as he got out of the car.

“Yes, we have eyes on Clark and Henrietta. He’s injured. Looks like a gunshot to the thigh, probably from Pete,” Decker replied calmly.

“And my mom?”

“She’s fine but looks shaken.”

“Where’s Reid?”

“He’s watching the cabin from higher up the ridge. He’s scoping out the best points of access for a rescue.”

Twenty minutes later Reid had joined them again. Blake looked at his teammates and Pax. “Okay. Let’s discuss a plan.” Ten minutes later the plan was set, all they needed was the darkness of night to fall.

As they waited, Blake changed into the same clothes as the other men and they checked and re-checked the weapons Waggs had provided for them.

“Will you be okay staying in the car alone?”

Pax rolled her lips in as she nodded. “Yes, I’d rather be there, but I know I’d get in the way. Plus, I have a gun and the comms you gave me.”

Not willing to be totally out of the loop Pax had demanded a comms so she could listen in. Blake hadn’t liked it, but Reid had convinced him it was a good idea for peace of mind for him and her. The birds began to quiet as the dusk settled around them, blanketing the secluded cabin in darkness.

“Time to go,” he said sliding his hand into Pax’s hair and cupping her head so he could kiss her.

The kiss was over before he wanted but going to rescue her mother with an erection was not part of the plan. He watched Pax lock the car’s doors and put her gun on her lap before he gave a short wave and walked away. He hated leaving her, but he had no choice.

Pulling his night vision goggles into place he and his team headed towards the cabin. With the Silverwood lake to the east of the cabin and the ridge behind it, the best penetration point was to get Waggs up on the hill and Decker covering the lakeside. He and Reid would move in from either side and breach the cabin through the back door.

The cabin itself was a single storey and made of logs with a wrap-around porch at the front and sides. From what they could tell, the main floor was a combined kitchen living space with a hallway that led to the bedrooms and bathroom at the back. Two bedrooms looked to the ridgeline and a smaller bedroom and bathroom were on the south side.

Reid had used a high powered zoom to determine Henrietta was being held in the main room with Clark.

On silent feet, Blake approached the bedroom window on the southside and waited for the team to be in place. When low murmurs came over the comms saying they were ready, Blake waited for Reid to give the go order. As the hostage rescue specialist, Blake had him take the lead.

“Go, go, go,” Reid whispered.

Immediately Blake moved towards the window and breached it with no sound. Climbing through he caught movement as Reid slithered through the bathroom window. He kept his rifle on his shoulder as he listened to see if Clark had heard them. The silence was deafening.

Creeping down the hallway, he checked each room making sure it was clear before poking his head around the corner into the main room. Clark was facing away until Henrietta looked up. Something on her face must have alerted him and he turned, weapon up, and fired at them.

He was never going to be fast enough though and Blake shot him in the shoulder throwing the gun from his hand. Before Clark could move and go for the gun again, Blake was on him pinning him to the ground as the man wailed and shrieked in pain.

Leaving Reid to restrain him, Blake moved to Henrietta and crouched low to speak to her. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, her face streaked with tears. “No, he didn’t hurt me.” Her voice trembled as she spoke.

The usually put-together woman was anything but that now with her clothes torn, make-up running, and hair dishevelled. Gently he helped her to stand as Decker and Waggs moved Clark to a sitting position.

“You’re too late,” the man laughed. His face held the maniacal expression of someone who was becoming unhinged.