Chapter 6 - Into the Wild
The private jet landed at a remote airstrip in Washington State just as a heavy, freezing rain began to fall. Silas had traded his Tom Ford suits for tactical gear, a waterproof jacket, and a holster strapped to his thigh.
He looked back at the twins. They were bundled in heavy parkas, looking like two small, determined explorers.
Mercer, heavily bandaged but refusing to stay behind, drove the armored transport vehicle. They navigated winding, treacherous logging roads for three hours, moving deeper into the wilderness.
"The coordinates from Clara's map stop here," Mercer said, killing the engine.
They were in front of a dense wall of pine trees. No road, no trail.
"We walk," Silas said.
He hoisted Tobias onto his shoulders. The boy wrapped his small arms tightly around Silas’s neck, burying his face in his collar. Elias walked beside him, matching Silas’s long strides as best as he could, his jaw set in a stubborn line that mirrored his father’s.
They hiked for a mile through the freezing rain. Silas’s mind raced. What if they were too late? What if the Syndicate had found this place first?
Suddenly, Elias stopped. He pointed to a tree trunk.
Carved into the bark, barely visible, was a small lightning bolt.
"That's Mommy's sign," Elias whispered. "She sewed it on my sweater."
"Good eye," Silas murmured.
They followed a series of hidden markers until a small, camouflaged cabin materialized from the fog. It was dark. No smoke came from the chimney.
Silas signaled Mercer to fan out. He set Tobias down next to Elias behind a large boulder. "Stay here. Do not move."
Silas approached the cabin, his weapon drawn. He kicked the door open.
"Clear!" he shouted, sweeping the room.
May you like
It was empty, but it had been recently occupied. A fire was smoldering in the hearth. A medical kit was scattered across the rustic wooden table. And on the floor, there was a fresh drop of blood.
Silas’s chest tightened. They were close. But so were the hunters.
