Page 85 of Forged in Secrets

After giving Katie a couple of seconds to get out of the way, he lunged forward, heaving all his weight into the pale wood of the door. He heard splintering, and his shoulder ached, but it didn’t give.

He bit back a curse. Had he been wearing sturdier shoes, he would have kicked it in, but it was too late for that. He rushed forward again, ignoring the pain that jolted through his arm and torso.

This time, the door crunched inward.

Grace rushed past him. A girl who looked a little too young to drink sat on the bed inside, dressed in the same black Eagles shirt she’d been wearing on the security footage. She was blonde and pretty like Grace, though Ben noticed that her eyes were brown instead of blue.

They were also filled with tears as Grace climbed up onto the bed and hugged her younger friend, pulling her close and assuring her that everything was going to be okay.

Guilt clutched at his heart. He’d questioned Katie Fairman’s character due to her association with Jade and her choice to spend spring break partying. His assumptions may have had some truth to them, but the poor girl had been betrayed by someone who was supposedly her best friend and had spent days in captivity. She needed empathy, not rash judgment.

He allowed the two women a moment to connect, but unfortunately, a minute or two was all they could afford.

GABE

The crowds on the beach rushed off in all directions at the sound of the gunshot, pouring out onto the narrow streets and ducking into buildings. Gabe didn’t bother to hide his binoculars as a group of teenage girls nearly bowled him over, shrieking with fear as they ran in the direction of the main road.

He managed to get the Hintons in sight, but for a moment he struggled to hear what was being said over the panicked shouts of the crowd. He looked out at the yacht. Had the shot come from that direction? There had been too much chaos for him to place the sound.

“The money!”

The speakers cracked and protested in Gabe’s ear as the Latino man barked at Mr. Hinton, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. “You sent it, yes?”

Gabe watched Robert nod. “Yes! Yes, I sent it!”

The man let go.

“I’m not getting paid to join a gunfight. Good luck to you both.”

He started taking off across the dock at a run. Gabe dropped his binoculars, trying to follow his movementinto the crowd. He could hear the Hintons shouting at the man’s retreating back. Fortunately, they didn’t attempt to give chase.

“Wait! Please, I know you’re not the mastermind here. Just tell me where my baby is!”

Gabe’s heart ached at the sound of Mrs. Hinton’s plea. This operation had fallen apart almost as quickly as it began. If there was any hope of making things right, he had to choose carefully what he was going to do next.

Gabe paused, watching as the man slowed down near a stack of crates. He pulled out his phone and punched a few buttons before raising it to his ear. A few seconds later, he pocketed it and took off again.

Every muscle in his legs longed to race after him. Gabe had little doubt he could take him down, especially since the man was scarcely taller than Mrs. Hinton. But he doubted there would be any point. He was probably a local like he’d assumed, someone who was given a task to do and little other information. Otherwise, he would have properly confirmed the money was deposited before taking off.

Meanwhile, someone else out there not only had a gun, but had used it. Katie and Grace were in danger. And so were his brothers.

He shook his head in frustration as he watched the man blend into the crowd, disappearing from view. No time to change his mind now. It was time to fetch the Hintons and figure out how on earth he was going to get everyone out of this nightmare.

CHAPTER

THIRTY-SEVEN

GRACE

The ship was bigger than Grace had assumed. A lot bigger.

As Ben led her and Katie through the twisted maze of corridors, she worried he’d gotten lost, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

Instead, she kept glancing back at Katie, wishing she had time to ask some of the questions that plagued her about her disappearance. She hoped that Ben and Asher had found some answers, because as far as she could tell, nothing Craig and Jade had done made much sense.

“This is it. Wait until I say you’re clear,” Ben ordered, raising his pistol as he came to a stop at one of the doors. Grace didn’t argue. She hung back with Katie as he pushed his way forward, letting a ray of harsh sunlight filter in.

She watched as he surveyed the area in practiced motions, moving his pistol in a wide arc. It was obvious to her that he was just as good an operative as Gabe, Cam,Asher, or Reilly, and she couldn’t help but wonder why exactly he tended to lock himself away with his computers rather than picking up a gun and heading into the action.

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