Page 108 of Lost Truth
He inhaled deeply and kept going, the grass wanting to sweep around his boots and pull him down. He battled it until they inched up on the corner of the small cabin that was probably no bigger than twenty by twenty. He signaled for Abby to cover him, and he crept toward the window where they’d seen movement.
Inch by painful inch, he advanced until he could dart a look inside without being seen.
Okay, two men inside. One sitting in a chair. The other standing near the door with a rifle propped on the wall a few feet away from him. Hayden took another look at the man in the chair.
His back was to him, and the room’s darkness made it impossible to tell whether it was Kai—or if the man was even tied to the chair. He switched his focus to the door. A metal hasp meant to hold a padlock, dangled loose, unsecured.
He held up two fingers to signal the number of occupants to Abby, then moved swiftly back to her. They needed eyes on the truck. With a quick gesture toward the rear of the building, he took off again. They crouched beneath a side window, pushing through a dense tangle of wild blackberries, the thorns clawing at his arms and drawing blood.
Ignoring the pain, he kept moving until he reached the back wall and chanced a look around the corner. A shiny black Ford F150 gleamed in a shaft of moonlight breaking through the clouds, but no one in sight.
Hayden peered into the truck’s window. Spotless. Whoever was inside the building cared enough about his vehicle to keep it clean. He checked out the truck bed and waved Abby over. He pointed to the bed and waited for her to spot the rumpled T-shirt with a Ride the Tide logo.
She pivoted and flashed him a smile.
Confident they were out of earshot if they whispered, Hayden bent close to Abby. “Two men inside. One in a chair. T-shirt says it’s likely Kai, and he’s probably restrained, but I couldn’t confirm that. The other one is standing just inside the door, his rifle against the wall a few feet away.”
Abby leaned in. “The way I see it, we have two choices. We either spook him from out here and hope he comes out, or we storm the place and take him down before he lays hands on his rifle.”
Hayden turned to look over the back of the building. One window, no door. “Let me look for another entrance on the other side.”
Hayden got low and scooted under the window to the far corner. He shot a look around the corner, then advanced far enough to determine neither a window nor a door existed on that side of the cabin.
On his way back to Abby, he glanced through the rear window. The view stretched clear to the front, confirming it was a single-room building, and the occupants hadn’t moved. He returned to Abby and quietly passed on what he’d seen. “He could have instructions to take Kai out if he feels threatened, so storming the building seems like a better option.”
“Agreed.” Abby cupped her rifle in her arms, ready for action. “We need to make sure we take that rifle out so it doesn’t come into play.”
“We bust in. One of us can pin him with the door, leaving room for the other one to go for the rifle. In case the man in the chair isn’t Kai, we’ll both need to keep an eye on him.”
“Good plan, except the door could be locked, and taking time to disable it might give him time to go for the rifle.”
“The only lock is a metal hasp and padlock on the outside, and it isn’t secured. So we have direct access.”
“Good. Good. Since I’m smaller than you, it makes sense for you to breach the door, and I slip behind you for the rifle.”
He nodded.
She flashed him an okay sign with her fingers. “First, we request backup, and before we breach, we stop at the window so I can get the lay of the land.”
He lifted his microphone. “This is Maverick. Preparing to breach the building. Suspect armed with a rifle. Backup required now.”
“Riddler here,” Jude said. “We’re on our way.”
Hayden released his microphone and looked at Abby.”The team will be in place by the time you take a look inside, so let’s move.”
They crept back around the building to the window. Abby darted up and down, then looked again. She turned and gave a quick thumbs-up.
“Riddler here,” Jude’s whispered voice came over Hayden’s earpiece. “Backup in place. God be with you.”
Hayden briefly met Abby’s gaze, then eased up to the door, fearing each step might creak beneath his weight. One step. Two steps. Three steps.
He waited. Listened. No indication their suspect knew they were coming.
Hayden crept into a position where he could break through the door. Abby moved into place behind him. It wasn’t hard to imagine her fierce determination.
He raised three fingers.
Lowered the first one. Curled down the second one.
