Page 102 of Shadow of Deceit
Ryan sat forward and shared a worried look with Russ.
“Russ, are you there?” Mia’s shaky voice came through the radio loud and clear, Ryan’s heart creasing at the stress in her tone.
“Go ahead, Mia,” Russ said calmly.
“I have Jessie at the cabin with me.”
“Is she okay?” Russ shouted as if yelling would make the answer what he wanted to hear.
“She’s fine. A little scared, but fine.”
Russ fired a quick look at Ryan, their eyes connecting in shared gratitude.
A scuffling noise and arguing voices came over the radio. Russ slowed the car, his hands grasping the wheel tightly.
“Maddox, this is Lincoln Pope. Since you know all about me, I won’t bother introducing myself.” Pope gave a disembodied laugh.
“He has Mia and Jessie,” Ryan whispered and clenched his fist to keep from smashing it into the dashboard. “We need to get there. Like yesterday. Speed up.”
Russ made a slashing motion across his throat and pointed at the next driveway on their right. The cabin. It was just ahead. Good. Great even.
“What do you want, Pope?” Russ asked as he maneuvered the vehicle around a squad car sitting in the dark at the mouth of the driveway and turned onto the unpaved drive.
“To get out of here alive, and you’re gonna help me do it.”
“Not a chance.” Russ sent the car down the steep drive, the vehicle bottoming out then bumping over humps and ruts.
“You forget. I have your niece here, and I’m not opposed to hurting her.” Pope paused. “Hold that thought.” The phone fell silent.
“What’s he up to?” Russ brought the car nearer the house and stopped behind three other vehicles in the driveway.
Ryan scanned the cabin and spotted light seeping through slats in the blinds. “They’re in the family room. Someone’s looking through the blinds.”
“That you in the driveway?” Pope’s irritation came over the radio. “’Cause if it is, I suggest you back on out of here if you want to help your niece.”
“Let’s cut to the chase, Pope,” Russ said. “What do you want?”
“Listen up and listen good. I’ll only say this once. I want a clear path to my car. Get all your men off the property and make sure there aren’t any roadblocks. If I see one person or one roadblock, your pretty little niece is history.”
“How do I know you won’t hurt her anyway?” Russ asked.
“Guess you’ll just have to trust me.” Pope laughed again, this one low and ugly. “Call me back when you and your deputies have cleared out. Oh, and Maddox, I’ll be watching your car leave so don’t try anything funny.” The call went dead.
Ryan drew the handgun he’d taken from the lodge. “I’m going in there.”
Russ grabbed Ryan’s arm. “No way, bro. It’s been a while since your deputy days and you’re rusty.”
“So what do you suggest? That we sit around and wait for Pope to hurt someone else? Maybe kill them this time?” Ryan shook off his brother’s hand. “One of us has to go in. You never came to the parties here and don’t know your way around. I did. There’s a cellar entrance we used sometimes, and I know the interior layout of the cabin. I can get in without Pope knowing.”
Russ continued to eye him. “You’ve never had to shoot a person.”
“Then I’ll have to man up. It’s their only chance. You know as well as I do that Pope will kill them once he doesn’t need them anymore. They’ve got a better chance with me.”
“I don’t know.” Russ ran a hand around the back of his neck. “Pope might see you exit the car.”
“Not from this distance if we turn off the dome light. He doesn’t know I’m with you. When you drive off, he won’t be looking for me.” Ryan grabbed Russ’s arm. “C’mon, man. I trained for situations like this as a deputy, and now we teach people how to survive a home invasion every week. I know what to do, and I have a vested interest in succeeding.”
Russ stared ahead. “You won’t take any chances? Put them in more danger?”
