The Hero (Thunder Point #3)(76)

“How long ago?” she asked.

“Half hour, maybe. Not long after you left. I called Mac right away,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

Devon grabbed her truck keys off the kitchen counter and ran for the door.

“Devon!” Mac barked. “You should stay here! Where are you going?”

She glared at him. “I’m going to get her.”

“Devon! Don’t!”

But she was out the door and in the truck so fast no one could have possibly stopped her. She drove immediately across the beach, parked and ran up the stairs, through the bar and into the kitchen. There were people on the deck and inside, but she took no notice of them.

“Rawley! Jacob found out where I live and he took Mercy! About a half hour ago. Mrs. Bledsoe was watching her. I have to go get her. I have to have... Rawley, I need a wire cutter to cut through the fence. And I need... Do you have a weapon? Any kind of weapon?”

He grabbed her by the upper arms and gave her a little shake. “Shh! Do you think he took her back there?”

“He hated to leave. I never saw him leave the compound alone. Where else would he take her?”

“I’ll go get her,” Rawley said. “Can you tell me where to go once I get into the camp?”

She nodded and said, “I’ll go with you. We’ll go together. I’ll show you.”

“No, you shouldn’t go, you should—”

“She’s mine! She’s my little girl! I’m going to get her and I don’t care if he makes me stay, I won’t leave her there with him! I’m going!”

“And I’m going,” a voice said from behind her. She whirled to see Spencer standing there. “We’ll go together. I’ll go with Rawley to the inside. We’ll get her.”

“You ever done this before?” Rawley asked him.

“Done this?” Spencer asked stupidly.

“Snuck into a village or a prisoner camp to get someone out?”

Spencer was clearly stuck for an answer. With something that sounded almost like a laugh, he asked, “Have you?”

“Unfortunately. Been a while, thank Jesus. Get Cooper. Right now.”

Spencer blinked a couple of times, then did as he was told. When Cooper followed Spencer into the kitchen he was muttering, “What the hell...?”

“I need to get in your closet,” Rawley said. “I need a black or dark green jacket or dark-colored sweatshirt with sleeves. Camouflage would be good, but you probably don’t have that. Devon needs something real dark from Sarah’s closet—just a jacket’ll do it. She’ll be okay in those tennis shoes—she’s not walking far. We’ll be going through the woods and can’t be seen.”

“What the hell?” Cooper said again.

“Mercy’s father came for her. He took her back to that commune and we’re going to go get her,” Rawley said. “He’s likely dangerous.”

“The police were called,” Devon said. “I told Mac I was going to go get her. Jacob has some men who work for him and they have rifles. They always said it was for hunting and to keep us safe, but I always wondered about the protection part.”

“We’ll have to look out for them, too,” Rawley said. “Coop, I gotta have a little help here. There’s no time to waste. Best chance is gettin’ right on him, surprise him.”

“Hell,” Cooper said. “I’ll be right back.” He took the stairs two at a time, rummaged around in his closet, in his trunk, under his bed. He was back in the kitchen with his arms full of clothes plus one very large handgun. He threw the clothes and gun on the counter and pulled one dark brown hoodie over his head.

“Wait a minute,” Spencer said. “You have to stay here for Austin.”

“Sarah will take care of Austin and I have to go to make sure you don’t get shot.”

“What’s this old guy gonna do to get her back?” Spencer wanted to know.

“This old guy served three tours in Vietnam as a Green Beret and stands a better chance of pulling this off than you or I,” Cooper said.

Rawley was pulling on a navy blue shirt, buttoning it up to his neck and around his wrists. “I’d have a better chance if you two dipshits would stay right here. If four are going, we’re going to have problems....”

“I’m going,” Devon said. “I can tell you every detail of the buildings inside the fence.”

“I’m going,” Spencer said, picking up a pair of boots and a jacket.

“I’m going,” Cooper said.

Rawley sighed and shook his head. “We’ll have to take your extended cab,” he said to Cooper. He headed for the door. He looked back over his shoulder. “We on coffee break here?” And then he was out the door, leaving them to follow.

Devon followed first, still pulling on a jacket she’d pulled out of the pile. She found Rawley digging around in the tool storage bin in the bed of his old truck. He removed a rifle and a very large, very intimidating knife in a leather holster of some kind. She didn’t gasp but she did say, “If I had known you had these things, I would’ve been afraid to stay with you.”

“Always locked up tight, chickadee. Wouldn’t leave nothing like this around a child. You sit in back with me—tell me the lay of the land while Cooper drives.”