Chapter 33 Silence. It surrounded Indie, and God, it felt heavy in the small toolshed. Heavy and dangerous and a bit like a ticking bomb. Gordon rubbed his eyes. Eyes that were still red and raw from the repellent spray. Then his gaze returned to the cell in his hand. His attention had barely left that thing since he'd ended the call with Colt. She tugged at the rope around her wrists, trying to loosen the knot or at least give herself a bit of space to pull a hand out. He'd forced her onto a wooden chair and bound her hands behind her but had left her feet untied. Probably because just tying her hands had been such an effort. That spray had really affected him. Good. She needed him weak. Because Colt would work out the hint she'd given him and figure out where she was, or she'd save herself. Either way, a weakened Gordon was a good thing. "Are you waiting for the money to hit the account?" she asked, needing to distract him so he didn't realize what she was doing. "I'm waiting for Chester to confirm he got the transfer." "Then what?" She wasn't sure she really wanted to know the answer to that, but keeping him talking felt smart right now. He rubbed his eyes again. "You'll find out when I have the money." He wouldn't just let her go. There was no way. "Do you ever feel even a little bit of remorse for everything you've done to your ex-wife and son?" "No." The answer was instant, obviously requiring no deep thought from him. "I've never understood those kinds of emotions. I feel anger. I feel resentment. I've learned to imitate everything else." That's how he'd convinced Sylvia to marry him? By imitating love? Jesus. He was so open about his inability to feel anything close to empathy. That was the definition of a psychopath, wasn't it? Another tug at her bonds. Almost there. A little more and she'd get her hand all the way out. She eyed the knife on the small table nearby. It was closer to her than it was to him. And if she moved fast enough, she could grab it. She'd prefer the gun, but it was on the other side of him. There was no way she'd get it. Either he didn't think she'd escape, or he just hadn't been thinking when he'd put it there. Whatever the reason, it was a mistake he'd regret. "Will this pay your debt to Chester?" she asked quietly. He scoffed. "That asshole will never let me go. Once you get into bed with Chester, the only way out is in the ground. I was always gonna use the money to run." "And now?" "Now I survive until I can come up with another plan." Indie wiggled her hands in the rope again. Another tiny bit of her hand out. So close. "Why hasn't he transferred the money yet?" Gordon growled. "He's fucking obsessed with you. He should have transferred it already." "He doesn't have the amount you're asking for. He'd need to access Sylvia's money, and she's probably still unconscious from whatever your friends gave her." And they did give her something. This entire thing was too well orchestrated. "Colt would have her bank details. Sylvia always loved that boy too much. He would have access to everything." One more tug- Air froze in her lungs. Separated. Her hands were separated. She was free. Gordon's head shot up. "What are you doing?" Shit. Had she moved? Had she given herself away? "Nothing." "You're lying. Are you trying to get out of the bindings?" Now. She had to move now. He rose. And she lunged, grabbing the knife and plunging it into his gut. Shock cut across his face. She pulled out the knife and kicked him between the legs. He growled and dropped. Then she was running, shoving outside into the darkened evening and sprinting through the trees. Branches snapped beneath her feet. She didn't know where she was going, maybe to a road or toward the park. Maybe to the middle of nowhere. A part of her didn't want to run too far in case Colt worked out where she was, only to find her gone. But she also had to put distance between herself and Gordon. Her foot hit a tree root, and she fell, hitting the dirt with a thud. She groaned, the pounding in her head from earlier intensifying as she pushed up, forcing her arms to function. Something rustled behind her. A buzzing started between her ears. Run. She had to run! She scrambled up. Sprinting through the forest, desperate for a way out. A person who could help her. A hiding spot. Anything. The trees thinned ahead, and she recognized where she was-the edge of the park where the granite cliffs were located, used for rock climbing and bouldering. Not good. This was not good. She spun around, scanning the forest. Bang! A bullet hit the dirt near her feet. She cried out and ran to the right before diving behind a tree. Then she breathed. Forced the air in and out of her lungs even though the oxygen felt too thin. Trying to silence her fear, which felt like it was going to explode out of her. She closed her eyes and gripped the knife, listening for any movement, ready to lunge if he got close. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but there was only silence. Complete silence. The kind where you only heard the wind through the trees. Had he given up? Gone the other way? God, please say he had. A footstep crunched immediately to her right. She turned and swung the knife. Blood roared between Colt's ears as he sat in the passenger seat of Noah's car. Technically, he and Noah shouldn't even be going to the location. It was the sheriff's job. But nothing and no one could have kept him away. This involved his wife and his father. He needed to be there. He needed to make sure she was safe, and that his father paid for his crimes. He checked his watch. Five minutes until the thirty was up. They had the money, but that wouldn't save Indie. Probably the opposite. The second Gordon got what he wanted, he'd have no use for her. She'd become a loose end. "If he's hurt her-" "Then we'll both murder him," Noah said under his breath, deadly anger in his voice. Colt swallowed, the fury spiraling through every limb. Making it hard to move. To breathe. When they reached the outskirts of the forest, Noah didn't pull into their usual parking spot. Instead, he cut into the trees and drove as far as he could toward the toolshed. That's when he saw it...a car. Jesse had received a call to say that a Toyota Camry had been stolen from the hospital parking lot. That was it. "She's here." Colt shot a glance behind him, seeing Jesse and his deputy Claudia in the passenger seat. He lifted his Glock, and the second Noah parked the car, he was out. "We approach the toolshed from different directions," Jesse said, once he and Claudia joined them. "Claudia and I will go from the east and you two go from the west." They all nodded. Jesse met Colt's gaze. "We only shoot to save Indie's life. Understood?" Noah nodded. Colt's jaw clenched; he didn't want to promise anything. He wanted the asshole dead. He wanted to make sure, with absolute certainty, that the man could never hurt a member of Colt's family again. But he nodded anyway. They didn't have time to argue. "Good." Jesse stepped back. "See you in a few minutes." Colt turned and ran, sprinting through the trees. He'd already studied the map. He knew exactly where to go. His feet sank into the dirt, the moon casting a dim glow over the path ahead. He pushed himself to move fast, feeling the air whip across his skin. He let his mind go blank from everything except reaching her. Saving her. Getting her home. When the shed came into view, he forced himself to slow. He crept through the trees, and when he saw the entrance...he frowned. The door was open. Why? Had they left? He crouched low and inched forward, Glock firmly in his hold and close to his body. Noah moved behind him, his steps just as silent as Colt's. When they reached the shed, Colt stood beside the door and listened. Silence. Then he spun around, Glock pointed. But there was no one inside. It was empty. Indie wasn't here. Gordon wasn't either. His eyes narrowed when he spotted blood on the floor. Hers or his? Noah stepped in behind him. "She escaped." It sure as hell looked like it. But where had she gone? They stepped out. "She's not inside?" Jesse asked, as he and Claudia jogged toward them. Colt shook his head. "Someone was hurt. I'm hoping Indie broke free and hurt him. But if she did, Gordon will be angry. Probably angry enough to kill." "So we find them fast," Jesse said. "We split up and we search every inch of this forest until we find them." "Blood looked fresh," Noah said. "They can't have gone far." "Good." Colt scanned the trees closest to the shed. She would have wanted the shelter of those trees as fast as possible. "I'm going this way." He didn't wait for a response, just started moving. Running. Sprinted through the forest to search for her. A gunshot cracked through the air. His heart jumped into his fucking throat. Indie. He sped up, closing the distance between him and where that noise had come from. When he reached the cliffs, he frowned. Where was she? He looked over the edge. Clear. Thank God. He turned, eyes narrowing on a single footprint in the dirt. It was barely visible. He inched toward it, Glock close to his body. A thick tree stood a few yards away. It was a good hiding spot. Two more steps before he darted around it. A knife flew toward him. He grabbed Indie's wrist before the blade could make contact. Her eyes widened. "Colt!" She dropped the knife and flung herself into his arms. Relief hit him so hard his knees wanted to cave, like the earth was tugging him down. He forced himself to remain where he was, for his arms to lock around her. "You're okay." "I'm okay. But he's still out here." The words had barely left her lips when a flicker of movement from the right had his gaze shooting around. Colt flung himself on top of Indie just as a bullet hit the tree beside them. He rolled them so that Indie was protected by the tree. "You're not hurt?" he asked, scanning her body. She shook her head. "Get the fuck out here, son," Gordon shouted. "Let's end this once and for all." "You're still holding on to this 'son' shit?" Colt yelled, slowly rising while making sure the tree covered both of them. "Sorry, kid. You may not like it, but you will always have my DNA in you." "Yet I'll always be better than you. Stronger. Smarter. Tougher." Colt threw a rock at a nearby tree. "The fuck you will," his father growled, firing a shot. Colt rounded the tree and pulled the trigger, getting his father in the temple. Jesse, Noah, and Claudia appeared just as his father dropped. Dead. The asshole was finally dead. "Colt," Indie whispered. He lowered beside her. "Hey." "You shot him?" "I did." She searched his eyes. "Are you okay?" "That man was not my father. A bit of DNA doesn't make a dad." Tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry." "Why?" "I heard a sound in the bathroom at the hospital. He was behind the door and hit me. I should have gotten you the second I heard something. I was stupid. I-" "No. You thought you were safe. You should have been safe in that room. I'm so sorry. Nothing that happened tonight is your fault." She looked at his father and back to him. "I'm still sorry you had to shoot him." "I'm not." There was not a single part of him that felt anything but relief. "The world will be a better place without him in it." Then he ran his gaze over her again. To take her in. To remind himself that she was alive. "You're okay." "I'm okay." He tugged her into his chest again and breathed her in. Let the feel of her in his arms heal every part of him that had felt broken since she was taken.