He just hoped her terms didn’t end up with her dead.
His eagerness to locate her had nothing to do with Zendaris or the plans. He had to save Noelle.
A half hour later, the snowmobile vibrated beneath him as he churned through the snow, dodging trees and rocks. His GPS display showed him drawing closer to the location. He couldn’t alert Noelle’s captors with the whining engine of the snowmobile, so he found a cluster of trees and abandoned the vehicle.
He slogged through the snow along the tree line as white flakes cascaded through the night air. Right now the snow was his friend, muting sounds and obscuring views.
A dark shape materialized along the edge of the trees, a sliver of light seemingly floating on one edge. As he drew closer, the shape became a small, dilapidated cabin, the light a glow from a window.
A figure appeared in front of the cabin and J.D. tensed his muscles. A lookout.
J.D. edged closer and then dropped to the ground. He carved a path through the snow with his body, army-crawling just like in the old days, keeping hidden beneath each snowdrift.
When he got close enough, he took aim with a weapon that shot poison darts. He didn’t want to kill the subject, since anyone close to Zendaris was worth questioning.
He shot one dart, then two. The figure dropped to the ground, and J.D. coiled in preparation for a reaction from the cabin. Nothing. They must be busy with something else in there.
Hunching over, he ran toward the body and pulled the person—a woman—next to the cabin so she’d be out of sight. She must be the one who had hooked up with Ted.
He did recon around the perimeter. His gut flipped when he saw the chopper, but at least it was still parked and not flying off with Noelle. He found a space beneath the front porch that led to a larger crawl space under the cabin itself. He flashed his penlight into the darkness, thankful the dead raccoon he’d just rolled over was frozen into a Popsicle.
Voices. He could hear voices from above.
Shoving through more debris, he followed the sound. Thin shafts of light pierced the crawl space and he made his way toward them. As the light fell across his hands, he blinked and pressed his face against the rotting wood.
His gaze darted back and forth, taking in the small room over his head. He couldn’t see all of the inhabitants of the room, but he could hear their voices.
He pulled a knife from his pocket and wedged the blade between two pieces of wood, prying them apart. This gave him a broader view of the room above.
And it didn’t look good.
* * *
HOW MUCH LONGER could she stall? How many more incorrect passwords could she utter before she was locked out of the file? Surely, Abby must’ve put some limit on the number of failed passwords.
She just might run out before J.D. came to her rescue. Would he even get the hint about the phone?
Her gaze darted toward the front door of the cabin. What could one man alone do to save her and Ted? If she’d gone along with J.D.’s plan, he’d have reinforcements, but she couldn’t risk Ted’s safety.
With her mouth dry, she intoned another phrase into the computer’s mic, knowing it would do nothing to unlock the file and fully aware that it might lock her out for good.
The man with the needle waved it in the air. “She’ll never remember this way, boss. I say we stick her and see what happens.”
The larger man had taken to calling the other one boss. It also seemed curious that none of them had attempted to contact Zendaris for his take on the situation, and the man with the accent had ordered the blonde to keep watch outside. He seemed accustomed to giving orders.
Was the masked man Zendaris himself?
Noelle cleared her throat. “Zendaris.”
The enforcer over her right shoulder grunted and leaned in toward the computer screen. The file didn’t open, as she’d known it wouldn’t. She just wanted to see their reaction to the name.
The man in charge glided toward her, as stealthy as a panther. “Where did you hear that name?”
“Zendaris?” She shrugged. “It was one of the names Abby had me speak into the computer. It just came to me. You see? I can remember if you give me a chance.”
The man’s long fingers slid through her hair and then curled around several strands. “Are you sure