Defending Everly (Mountain Mercenaries #5)(83)

“You heard anything?” Gray asked.

“Meat said Elise is probably out here too?” Ro asked.

“Do we know this guy’s name yet?” Arrow asked.

“My guess is Tuttle,” Black said with a roll of his eyes and a nod to the van in front of them.

Just then, a Humvee came barreling up the road. Ball was surprised to see Meat, but he was thankful. He could use all the help he could get. And at this point, it didn’t matter what was on the surveillance cameras or Elise’s phone. He needed Meat here more than he needed him sitting at home behind a computer.

“You guys know what’s up?” Ball asked.

“We know enough,” Gray said. “What’s the plan? Any ideas on where they are?”

“Not exactly. I’m thinking we walk the trail and see if we can find anything to tell us which way they went. Everly let him take her, so be on the lookout for clues from her.”

“You think she knows we’re coming?” Black asked.

“Not only knows, she’s counting on it,” Ball said.

The others all nodded.

“Anyone notify the cops?” Arrow asked.

“Rex suggested we wait until we have concrete information that they’re out here,” Gray said.

“Good call. The last thing we need is dozens of people tromping around and spooking this asshole,” Ball said. “He’s obsessed with Elise, and if someone tries to take her away from him, he’s gonna lose his shit.”

“Let’s go,” Ro said. “The sooner we find her, the sooner we can get her and Everly home.”

Without another word, Ball headed for the trailhead. It would be dark soon, and the trail was closed at dusk. There weren’t very many other cars in the lot. Every person they passed, Ball asked if they’d seen either Elise or Everly, or if they’d heard anything out of the ordinary. None had.

They’d been walking for ten minutes when Ball stopped on the trail.

He tilted his head and studied the vegetation to his right.

Gray came up next to him. “What’s up?”

“Does that look normal to you?” Ball asked his friend, his eyes glued to the right side of the trail.

“It looks like a couple people have been through there. Recently,” Gray said.

“Let’s hope there’s not a geocache through here,” Ball muttered. “If we’re following some geo-trail for a bunch of hide-and-go-seekers, I’m gonna be pissed.”

The six men fanned out and silently made their way through the underbrush. Every now and then, one of them would point out a broken branch or a scuff in the dirt.

“Good girl,” Ball muttered under his breath. He had no doubt that Everly was behind the signs. She’d done everything she could think of to lead him right to her.

The climb wasn’t difficult for the former Special Forces men, but it was quickly getting dark. They needed to hurry up and find Elise, Everly, and the asshole who’d taken them. Ball didn’t want to think about what would happen when the sun went down.

He’d once told Everly that nothing good happened after two in the morning. It wasn’t anywhere close to being that late, but he suspected the same train of thought applied here. Nothing good was going to happen once it got dark.





Chapter Eighteen

Everly tried not to hyperventilate. Tylor had unlocked the chain around Elise’s ankles—but not her wrists—and carefully helped her up from the ground. He’d kissed her, and Everly’s stomach felt as if it had a thousand angry bees inside at the sight. Elise was doing her best not to do anything that would make their captor lose his shit, but this was too much.

She shouldn’t have to suffer his hands on her. Or his lips. Or any other part of him. The hatred welled up inside Everly so fast, she had to force herself not to attack Tylor right then and there. She had to wait. She had a plan. She had no weapon, other than herself. He was smart, making her wear flip-flops. The terrain was rough, and without proper footwear, she was at a disadvantage. While she and Tylor were around the same height, he outweighed her by quite a bit. And he was batshit crazy. In her experience, craziness oftentimes was the reason people could overpower someone bigger and heavier than they were. That and drugs.

Everly didn’t think Tylor was on drugs. He wasn’t acting like the men and women she’d dealt with while on duty. He was just obsessed.

Keeping his hand on Elise’s upper arm, he half hauled, half guided her up the hill to the scenic bluff. Tylor hadn’t bothered to re-tie Everly. He was one hundred percent sure she’d be compliant as long as he had his hands on her sister. And he was mostly correct.

Once at the top of the bluff, he raised his finger to point directly in front of him. “You stand there,” he told Everly.

She didn’t want to. He was pointing to a spot that would put her way too close to the edge of the cliff, and not only that . . . her back would be to it. She knew without question what his plan was. He was going to have her “marry” them, then push her over the edge.

She couldn’t fault him, though, because that was her plan too, although it would be Tylor going over the side.

Swallowing her fear and trying not to look completely freaked out, Everly slowly went to stand where he pointed. The ground was rocky, and she took one glance over her shoulder before quickly turning her attention back to Tylor and Elise. The ground fell away about four feet from where she was standing. There were large boulders and scrub brush all the way down the slope. At the bottom was a small stream filled with more large rocks and forest debris. It was unlikely that she’d survive if Tylor managed to catch her off guard and push her over. But it was equally as unlikely that he would survive a fall. She kept that thought in her head.