one leg just a bit shorter than the other, her own shoes were all fitted with an insert to help with the difference. Brynna had long ago learned to compensate when without them. After she was dressed, she dug through both their pockets, grabbing phones, keys, his wallet, and even a tube of lip balm. Not that she would be using that. She didn’t leave anything behind. Brynna grabbed the rope they had used on her and checked it to make sure there were no stray hairs stuck in the fiber. She then tied it around Sphynx. Her rope work wasn’t nearly as pretty as what had been holding Brynna hostage. She left it loose on purpose, making it look as though the woman had gotten mostly free. Next, she used the man’s shirt to wipe her prints from the knife and placed it in Sphynx’s hand before dragging her over and dropping her behind the man.
There wasn’t blood splatter on Sphynx’s hand, but it would take a while for anyone to figure out she hadn’t been the one to kill her partner. Brynna checked both phones, finding the screens locked, so she held each one up to its owner’s face, and the devices came to life. Brynna sent a text to both Banyan and Travis with her location and told them she’d managed to grab her kidnapper’s phones. To make sure they knew it was really her, she snapped a selfie and included it with the location. She signed off with an “I love you” to both males. Lastly, Brynna braided her long hair and shoved it down the back of the shirt, then picked up the man’s ball cap he’d lost in their skirmish, tugging it over her head.
Brynna peeked out the door, finding a long hallway. There were no other doors, but there was a metal upward staircase at the end of the hall. Brynna reached out with her senses, and when she didn’t feel another presence, she slowly climbed the stairs, checking for cameras along the way. When she came to the door on the next floor, Brynna turned the knob, praying the door didn’t squeak, even though she didn’t think there was anyone there. It opened to an empty warehouse, and she checked once again for cameras. Seeing none, Brynna took off toward the exterior door, easing it open. There were two cars in the gravel lot, and Brynna debated taking either. If those two had been professionals, they probably had some type of tracker on their vehicles. Then again, the phones had locaters as well. Were they supposed to check in with someone? How long was it before they were going to be missed?
Brynna pulled up the map app on one of the phones. She was two hundred kilometers from where she’d been taken. As she was contemplating walking to the closest town, one of the phones buzzed. The name Mist appeared on the screen, and Brynna knew she was out of time.
Travis’s phone pinged with an incoming text. The number was unfamiliar, but something told him to open it anyway. The most beautiful sight in the world came to life on his phone. Brynna. Travis traced his fingertip over her picture. “Banyan!”
The door opened, and Banyan was holding out his phone as well. Uri slid into the back seat next to his brother, and the unknown male climbed in after him. Even though it was an SUV, it was still a tight fit. “Travis, this is our nephew, Cal. Cal, Brynna’s mate Travis.” Travis and Cal nodded at one another in greeting.
“She’s a couple hours away,” Banyan said as he started the motor.
“How do you know her captors didn’t send the text and this isn’t a trap?” Dacey asked.
Travis turned around in his seat and handed the male his phone. “Look in the background.” Two bodies were on the floor behind her – one male and one female. Travis didn’t know if they were alive or merely unconscious.
“Are they dead?” Cal asked, taking the phone and looking closer.
“I hope so,” Travis said. The males in the back seat all nodded in agreement. He was glad he wasn’t the only one who was okay with Brynna taking a life or two. If that made him a bad human, so be it. Brynna meant more to him than anything, even a mark against his soul for wishing someone else dead.
“Travis, plug her location into the GPS. I know the general vicinity, but I don’t want