Behind him, he heard her forced breaths, her nerves getting the better of her. He couldn’t blame her. Her first time back since her abduction, she had to be remembering her eight days of captivity in vivid detail.
Head down and knees bent to avoid braining himself on the roof of the van, he shuffled to the back and sat on the bench seat beside her. The flashlight attached to her vest illuminated the interior just enough so she wouldn’t be in the dark, and he could see the way she bit the corner of her lip.
He took her hand, threaded their fingers together, and squeezed. A gentle reminder, he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Not here. Not while they confronted the Matthews. Not fucking ever.
She looked him in the eye and faked a smile.
Yeah, like he didn’t know the difference.
Physically, she’d mended, her yoga-toned body recovering in record time. Mentally—she still had some healing to do. She’d had two panic attacks since leaving the lodge. She’d tried to hide the first by lingering in the jet’s bathroom, but one look at her pale face was all it took for him to recognize the signs.
The second had been much worse and seeing her in so much distress in the airplane hangar had damn near changed his mind about her coming on this mission. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to protect her from what came next, he couldn’t. She’d never allow it. She needed to face her tormentors and help the families of the missing women find closure.
But once they were back at the lodge, he’d make sure she had someone to talk to before she made any big decisions about her future. A professional who could help her work through the trauma, figure out how to move on, and decide what to do next.
And holy fuck did he want to be the future she chose.
“All clear,” Grant said through the comm, meaning his team had reached the house without incident.
“Roger that,” Adam replied, and Eve’s grip tightened in his. “Ready?”
She nodded, and together they left the van. Joined by Chase and his team, they made their way across the manicured grounds, around the pool, and onto the brick patio. The garden door leading to the kitchen had been left open, and the group made their way inside to where Grant waited. “Found the door unlocked,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Is that normal?”
“I don’t think so,” Eve replied. “But I can’t say for sure. I haven’t lived here for years.”
“Fair enough.” Grant turned his attention to Chase. “Doc’s scoping out the basement.” He cocked his head toward the archway leading to the service hall. “Wait for his signal before you head down.”
On the hunt for the CCTV system, Chase’s team of Gray, Jay, and Davis left to connect with Doc, and at the sight of the group disappearing down the dark corridor, Adam’s chest tightened.
Given the size of the manor, they needed every person they had looking for the recording equipment, but he’d much rather have left Gray and Davis safe at the lodge with Jay to guard their backs.
“Main floor secure,” Cody said through the comms link. “Holding at checkpoint one.”
Grant pressed the talk button on his mic. “On our way.”
He led them through a second door into a wide paneled hall, the red light attached to his tactical vest illuminating the immediate space around them. Sandwiched between Grant and Adam, Eve kept her gaze straight ahead as they drifted silently through the house she’d grown up in.
They met Zander and Cody at the bottom of the grand staircase, and Cody gestured toward two sets of matching luggage waiting by the front door. Confirmation the Matthews were still at home.
They moved as a unit up the stairs. Grant and Cody in the lead. Adam and Eve in the middle. Zander bringing up the rear. As planned, when they reached the second floor, they split into two groups, Zander and Cody continuing up to the third floor where Bryan had a suite of rooms to himself.
Grant signaled his intention to make his way to their target’s location, and Adam pulled one of his guns. A precaution. They had the element of surprise, and they didn’t anticipate any armed resistance from the elderly judge.
As they moved down the hallway, Grant cleared each room as they passed it. When they reached the last door, they stopped. Listened. Nothing. No sounds of life whatsoever. Adam motioned to where he wanted Eve to wait. Off to the side, and away from the door they were about to breach.
She nodded, moved into position, and with a press of a button she illuminated the flashlight attached to her vest to keep from being alone in the dark.
Gun at the ready, Adam gave Grant the go-ahead to proceed.
He turned the knob and opened the door a quarter inch before his head snapped up, and his gaze locked on Adam. Yeah, he smelled it too.
Blood.
A whole lot of it going by the metallic scent wafting from the room.
Adam turned to Eve. Her nose lifted into the air; her eyes went wide with alarm.
“Wait here,” he ordered. Her gaze locked on the door to the judge’s bedroom suite, she didn’t acknowledge and took a step closer. Adam swept his arm out, pushing her back against the wall. “That’s an order, Eve. Youwaithere.”
