cult like Harold had told John. Churches are about outreach, building their flock, helping the community.
Faithful was not about any of those things. And if I hadn’t already been sure, I was very sure when Clark had radioed he could see approximately fifty women and female children all dressed in long-sleeved white dresses that went to their ankles leaving the main building.
It was summer in Georgia.
Hot and humid and the women were covered from the neck down. At least the fabric was white so it would help some, but not much. Those women and girls had to be hot as fuck.
Luke had taken a high sniper position to the east, Logan to the west. Which meant the rest of us fanning out had coverage.
Still, I didn’t feel good about this.
I was coming out of the woods to a clearing when Luke’s voice crackled in my ear.
“Ground team, hold fast.”
I stopped moving and waited for Luke to continue. When he did, my pulse spiked.
“I’ve got eyes on Hadley.” There was a beat of silence then, “Carter, what’s your twenty?”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“East side far corner,” Carter returned.
“Luke?”
I got nothing but silence.
Fuck.
“Anyone else have eyes on Hadley?” I inquired and got eight nos.
Carter and Luke did not report in.
I started advancing when Luke came back. “Hold fast, Brady.”
“What the fuck’s going on?”
Nothing.
I counted to ten and was ready to explode when I heard Carter say, “Locked down.”
What the fuck?
A moment later, a panting Carter said, “Proceed.”
Okay, now what in the actual fuck?
“Brady, keep your shit,” Luke warned and I braced. “Carter, Ethan, Lenox, Clark, Jasper, and Levi are out of play.”
“Why?” Trey clipped.
“Hadley’s…fuck…”
“Luke,” I growled and cold slithered down my spine.
“Lock it down, Brady, or I’ll send someone to lock you down. Two men are dragging her out the back of the center building.”
Fucking hell. I broke out into a jog, cleared the last of the trees, and from where I stood about five hundred yards away I could see the building. I couldn’t make out faces but I could see what looked like bleachers. People were filing up the steps and finding seats.
That cold chill turned to molten lava.
“Where are they taking her?”
“Looks like a huge pond. Three men are flanking her, a dozen standing on the bank. More are taking seats. Brady, you and Trey are the only two that have a shot at getting across that field undetected.”
Pond.
Water.
Viciously and swiftly, terror suffused. I was transported back twenty years. Visions of Nicole drowning tugged at the corner of my mind.
“Brady,” Drake snapped.
My eyes wandered to the field in front of me and I scanned the area, planning my course of action. A scattering of trees and an outbuilding that would put me less than twenty yards from the bleachers.
I took off, made it to the first set of trees, glanced to my left, and saw Trey. To my right, there was nothing but a wide-open field, leaving Matt and Drake no cover.
“Logan, do you have a visual?”
“Negative on Hadley. I have power lines in my way but I have eyes on you and Trey. You’re clear.”
“Brady,” Drake tried again to get my attention and again I ignored him.
“Luke, what do you see?”
“Five feet from the pond. Ethan and Carter are taking Jasper, Lenox, Clark, and Levi around to the front gates. Once you have Hadley, they’ll come in.”
Once I had Hadley.
Get to Hadley.
I shoved all thoughts of my sister out of my head, glanced back to Trey, and gestured toward the building.
He took off and a second later, I followed. We met at the building and I immediately noticed him favoring his good leg.
“You good?”
“Are you?” he lashed out. His jaw ticked.
“Fuck,” Luke muttered and I peered around the corner of the ramshackle outbuilding.
And that was when I got my first look at Hadley.
Fury hit my chest, cracking the ice that encased my heart.
So much fury, there was no way I was going to be able to contain it.
A motherfucker in a blue robe was dragging a near-naked Hadley into the water. Her bra dangling from her shoulders opened in the front, breasts exposed, panties on, and a look of pure fright was on her beautiful face.
Locked down.
That was why Luke had called off her father, uncles, and cousins.