The Senator's Choice (18 page)

He glanced over at Dave, who continued to dig dirt out from underneath his fingernails. Dave glanced at him and snarled. “Got a problem, kid?”

Luke shook his head. “
No, no. I don’
t have a problem.”

“
Good. Let
’
s keep it that way.”

Luke slumped in his seat and stared at the scenery. Under any other circumstances, he might enjoy the scenic ride. But all he could think about was getting home to his father.

Where
’
s my uncle?

He said a quick prayer under his breath and wondered when his nightmare would end.

A few minutes later, their SUV came to a halt as Sam climbed out and unlocked the gate to the cabin
’
s property. Once he returned, the vehicle rambled slowly up the rutted driveway.

Luke surveyed the area, eyeing an escape route. The dense vegetation surrounding the property didn
’
t create any easy pathways, nor would it be easy to hide with the lack of greenery to hide in. Then he noticed a narrow footpath just beyond a storage shed on the northern edge of the cabin
’
s acreage.

That looks promising.

The SUV lurched forward and stopped.

“Move it, kid,”
Dave said.

Luke slid down the bench and exited the vehicle. He plodded slowly behind Sam and Bill, while Dave goaded him forward with a sharp object. After a few steps, Luke winced with pain.

“Ouch,” Luke said. “That hurts.”

Sam and Bill stopped and turned around to see what was happening.

Luke also spun around to see the tip of Dave
’
s knife just inches from his stomach.

“I suggest you man up and keep moving,”
Dave said.

Luke obeyed quickly. He even caught an eye roll from Sam.

After a few more steps, Luke stumbled over a rock and fell headfirst onto the ground.

Dave yanked him up by the back of his shirt and placed his knife tenuously on Luke
’
s neck.

“You think this is funny?” he asked.

Luke shook his head while he stared at the blade.

“Me either, kid. Learn how to walk or else I might have to teach you a few things tonight.” He threw his head back and laughed. “I
’
m full of ideas that I
’
ve been waiting to try on a young lad such as yourself.”

“Knock it off, Dave,” Sam yelled over his shoulder. “This isn
’
t funny.”

“What? Can
’
t a guy have a little fun?” Dave grinned and gently brushed Luke
’
s neck with his blade.

“Your sense of humor needs some work,”
Bill snapped.

“Say that to my face,”
Dave said.

Bill stopped and turned around. “Your sense of humor needs some work.”

Dave drew back and punched Bill right between the eyes. Bill staggered back before he lunged toward Dave and drove him into the ground. The two tussled in the dirt for a few moments before they both stood up.

“Children,”
Sam said.
“Can we all just get along?”

Dave dusted himself off and shoved Luke in the back. “What are you lookin
’
at, kid? Keep moving.”

Luke fell in line behind Sam and Bill, picking up his pace to stay ahead of Dave and his knife. He glanced over at the pathway just beyond the shed.

All he needed now was an excuse to go outside.

CHAPTER 27

SETH MATTHEWS SCANNED the Ophion property through his binoculars. He held an odd admiration for the kidnappers as he surveyed the area. It was perfect for holding a captive — and holding off oncoming attackers.

Other than the high-pitched shrill of a Peregrine Falcon in the dense forest surrounding the property, the occasional gust of wind provided the only other soundtrack. No one moved, avoiding the crunch of snow beneath their feet.

“See anything, boss?” Hammond asked.

Matthews shook his head as he continued to peer toward the lodge.

They sat in silence for a few more moments until Matthews held up his finger. “I see movement. One man on the west side of the property. Zellers, you
’
re with me. Let
’
s check it out. Jones, Hammond — you two watch our back.”

“I
’
ll be watching your back too,” Shepherd said over his com link. “Well, technically, I
’
ll be watching the tops of your heads from this satellite feed I
’
m getting.
”

“Enough, Shepherd,” Matthews said. “Just let us know if you see anyone else.”

Matthews and Zellers crept toward the house, guns drawn. They stayed low to the ground, hoping to surprise the man wandering aimlessly around the lodge and overcome him with force.

Stealthily, they hustled toward the lodge, all the while keeping an eye on the man. He hoisted a toolbox out of the back of his pickup truck and ambled toward the steps on the backside of the lodge, leading up to a balcony from the second floor.

Within a minute, Matthews and Zellers arrived at the foot of the stairs. On Matthews
’
signal, they rushed up the stairs and grabbed the man. Matthews tried not to act shocked when he noticed the man didn
’
t look like any of the three he
’
d seen on surveillance footage.

“Where is he?” Matthews demanded as he held the man
’
s arms behind his back.

“Where is who? And what are you doing?” the man answered.

“Luke. What have you done with him?”

The man
’s lips quivered.
“
I don’
t know any Luke. I don
’
t know what you
’
re talking.
”

Matthews squeezed the man
’
s arms. “I
’
m not playing games. Where is he?”

The man dropped his toolbox. “
Mister, I don’
t know what you
’
re talking about,” he said.

Matthews looked at him, fear overwhelming him. The man was old — too old to be keeping anyone prisoner. “What are you doing here?”

“My name is James Collier and I
’
m a contractor for a management company,” he said. “I
’
m here to fix the deck.” He motioned toward a broken plank near the corner of the deck. “
I don’
t know what you
’
re talking about.”

Matthews released him. “
Fine. Carry on. But don’
t tell anyone here you saw us. If you do, I
’
ll know where to find you, James.”

James recoiled and picked up his toolbox.

“Is anyone else here?” Matthews asked.

“Not that I
’
m aware of,” James answered. “They usually don
’
t call me unless the property is vacant. It doesn
’
t look good to have something being fixed while a guest is still here.”

“When did you last see a guest here?” Zellers asked.

“
Oh, I don’
t know. I live right down the road, but it
’
s been a few weeks.”

“Nothing recently?” Matthews asked.

“No.” He paused. “Who are you guys anyway?”

“Federal agents looking for a kidnapped boy,” Matthews lied.

James took his cap off and scratched his head. “Well, I doubt you
’
ll find anybody around here.”

“I
’
m not so sure about that,” Matthews said. “We have it on good authority that someone is being held in these parts.”

“
I don’
t know where they
’
d hide a kid that I wouldn
’
t see but—” James let his words hang for a moment. “I guess there
’
s one place they could be keeping him that I wouldn
’
t know about.”

“Where
’
s that?” Matthews asked.

“The cellar? Have you been down there yet?”

Matthews shook his head. “Has anyone looked in the cellar yet?”

His response was met with a chorus of “no
’
s”.

“Would you be kind enough to show us where it is?” Matthews said.

“My pleasure. Follow me.”

James led the men around the outside of the house on the ground floor to an old fashioned cellar with doors abutting the side of the lodge. He opened them and revealed a set of rickety wooden stairs leading into a darkened area beneath the house.

“Are there any lights down there?” Matthews asked.

“There
’
s a switch at the bottom of the stairs,” James answered. “This cellar runs the length of the house and there are several doors there, a few that are locked that I can
’
t even get into.”

Matthews nodded and led the team down the stairs. Matthews motioned for them to fan out to check the rooms. One of the doors was locked, just as James had told them.

“Hammond,” Zellers whispered. “We need your expertise over here. We
’
ve got a locked door.
”

Seconds later, Hammond flew at the door, kicking it open.

“So much for sneaking up on anyone,” Matthews said.

“There
’
s nobody down here,”
Jones said.
“It
’
s empty.”

Matthews sighed.
“Did you check for any potential hidden rooms?”

“I
’
ll check again,”
Jones said.

“Right behind you,” Zellers added.

Then Hammond froze. “What
’
s that smell?”

Matthews took a big whiff. “Kerosene? I don
’
t know.”

Then the sound of dripping water.

“
Wait,
” Matthews said. “Where
’
s that sound coming from?”

He sprinted around the corner just in time to see the daylight from the cellar doors start to disappear — and then a spark.

“Get back!” Matthews yelled as he retreated back around the corner toward the other members of his team.

“What
’
s going on?” Shepherd asked over his com link.

“
Fire, Shepherd. We
’
re trapped in a cellar and it
’
s on fire.”

Flames danced along the floor, edging closer to the team now huddled near the far end of the cellar away from the growing fire.

“Shepherd, find us a way out of here,” Matthews said. “
We don’
t have much time.”

Then an explosion rocked the cellar.

“Sir, are you there? Say something, please.”

***

OUTSIDE THE CELLAR, the man who
’
d posed as a maintenance worker pulled out his cell phone and called his employer.

“Your problem has been handled.”

CHAPTER 28

ONCE SENATOR DANIELS ARRIVED at his office building Wednesday morning, he retreated to a conference room and pulled out his burner phone. He needed an update from Seth. It had been a while since he heard from him and he wanted to know if they
’
d made any progress in rescuing Luke. He hadn
’
t received any proof of life that day yet either.

The phone rang and rang. Nothing.

What
’
s going on?

He stormed down the hall toward his office.

“
Good morning, Senator,
” his assistant said.

“Morning,” he growled as he blew past her, sending a few loose papers on her desk twirling into the air.

“Sir before you go—” she called out.

The door slammed with a thud. He didn
’
t care what she wanted to tell him. Nothing was more important than what was on his mind at the moment: getting Luke back. And for a man so used to being in control, there was nothing more helpless than what was happening to him at the moment. He
’
d long since learned there were no guarantees in life, but it didn
’
t mean he ever chose to accept a fate he disliked if there was still time to do something about it. And in Luke
’
s situation, there was.