passed since he’d checked it last. Time was crawling, and Hunter was ready to lose it. Erin and Brandon had been gone for so long, and the grid pattern they’d have to search for one little tracking signal was getting bigger all the time.
Hunter’s only hope was that Miller needed Erin alive.
Did he still need Brandon, now that Miller had the bait Ali wanted? Hunter prayed that was case. Even so, time was running out.
A plane’s engine buzzed above him. The aircraft dipped one wing, then circled around. Hunter set the lighter to the fluid, and a line of fire rose into the air, delineating the airstrip.
The Lear landed with room to spare, not even close to mowing down the cop car.
Once the plane had stopped and turned around, Blake pulled his vehicle to the side. “I heard on the scanner that a black SUV was found burning near Fort Stockton a little while ago. I checked with local authorities there, and they just called back. They found evidence of explosives and four charred bodies inside.”
Hunter’s knees buckled, and he grasped the car.
“No. Hunter. None of them were a baby or a woman. I don’t know if these were the same four guys who took Erin and Brandon, but someone is playing for keeps and leaving no witnesses. Be careful.”
Hunter nodded but couldn’t speak. The lump in his throat wouldn’t let any words escape, even ones of thanks.
“Good luck, Hunter,” Blake said. “If there’s anything else I can do, let me know.”
He watched the sheriff disappear into the night. Another man who’d proven himself worthy of trust, especially in a time of need. Logan knew some good people.
Would it all be enough?
The door of the Lear opened and Logan’s partner, Daniel, peered into the night. “You ready to go, Graham?”
Hunter gathered everything up quickly and climbed into the plush plane. He filled in Noah and Daniel on the latest as he stowed his gear.
“Okay, the burning car gives us a direction to start. Buckle up,” Noah said from the captain’s seat. “I’m taking the fastest route south possible. We’ll have a car waiting for us wherever we land. Soon as we see a signal, the order goes out.”
Daniel limped over to the seat next to Hunter, instead of going into the cockpit as usual. Hunter wondered how screwed up Daniel was after the torture he’d undergone in Bellevaux.
“You’re not flying the plane tonight?” Hunter asked.
His friend shook his head. “Not my thing anymore. A little too tight quarters up there at night,” he said, his grip white-knuckled. “Feels like I’m trapped in a closet.”
“You okay to do this?”
“The shrinks think I’m nuts, but that’s nothing new. I just happen to like wide-open spaces and big blue skies these days,” he admitted.
Hunter studied Daniel, saw the scars on his face and hands. Would Daniel be all right? Hunter couldn’t risk Erin and Brandon’s safety if Daniel lost it.
As though he’d read Hunter’s mind, Daniel lifted his gaze. “I won’t let you down. I promise. Pissed off conquers fear, and this situation’s done that and more for me.”
Once they’d taken off, Daniel pulled out a metal briefcase from beneath his seat. He opened the case and flipped on a switch. “What’s the frequency of your son’s chip?”
Hunter pulled up the information on his phone and relayed the numbers.
Daniel recalibrated the receiver, and a tiny beep sounded. “We should be able to pick up the sound within a thousand-mile radius.”
“They could have traveled farther than that.”
Daniel sat back in his seat. “We’ll grid the area out and find them.” He laid out a map.
Hunter studied the southern half of the United States. “Their first pickup was scheduled on the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast,” he said. “The burning SUV was south. If I wanted to make someone disappear, I’d get them out of the country as fast as I could.”
“Miller has a plane,” Daniel pointed out. “If he already picked them up...”
Hunter cursed. He refused to consider what might happen. They stared at the receiver, their tension growing with each mile of airspace eaten up.
Hunter knew Noah was pushing the Lear to its limit. It had been too long, and they still had nothing.
Suddenly, a buzz sounded.
Hunter studied the tracker, then the map.
“Got ’em,” Daniel said, with a relieved smile on his face. “You were right, Hunter. They’re not far from the border.”
Hunter stared at the small moving dot. He touched the monitor as if it could connect him to his