Page 102 of Claimed By the Deputies

Up ahead, our cabin rises from between the old pine trees. There’s no movement. It’s getting late, yet I don’t see any lights on inside. A feeling of dread takes over, tightening into a ball oflead in the pit of my stomach as I steer the SUV further up the rocky road.

“We don’t have enough manpower to go after the mayor and the rest of the Silver Stallions,” I mutter. “If anything, our own men are coming after us.”

“They’re worried we’ll screw up their business deal with Trevor and the cartel,” Lucas says. “I don’t know what the hell he did while he was in prison, but I gotta give that bastard some credit. He got around and got things done.”

“You heard Patterson, though. He may have bitten off more than he could chew,” I reply. “Maybe that’s why he’s coming for Tassia now. In his sick mind, she’s the only thing he thinks he can still control in his life. The rest of his associates keep dropping bodies before the deal can go through.”

“If they lose this operation, there’s no telling what the Sinaloa cartel will do to them. They are beyond ruthless,” Lucas says.

“I’d like to see how Billy Jade and the others tie into this,” Mitch says.

Lucas tries to call Tassia again but to no avail.

“Can’t reach her?”

“No.”

“I don’t like this,” I say and speed up.

We rumble up the mountain, weapons cocked and ready by the time we reach the cabin. We quickly go inside.

“Tassia!” I call out, my heart racing with anxiety and concern.

Our voices echo throughout the house, no sign of her anywhere.

“I’ll take the top floor,” Mitch says and rushes up the stairs.

“I’ll go through the back,” Lucas replies and heads into the kitchen.

I stay where I am, registering every detail. I’m nowhere near as sharp as Tassia, but even I can tell she never made it home. This place is exactly how we left it earlier this morning.

“She hasn’t been here,” I mumble, bolting through the kitchen and out the back door. I find Lucas in the garden, scowling as he surveys the surrounding woods.

“She’s not here,” Lucas says. “And I still can’t reach her over the phone, either. Tyler, something’s wrong.”

Mitch joins us outside, equally concerned. “We need to check Tim’s place. Maybe she’s there with Dante,” he says. “I remember she mentioned knowing that part of the woods like the back of her hand. If somebody were to come after her, she’d probably?—”

“Head into the forest,” I nod in agreement.

My heart tightens the closer we get to Tim’s cabin. It’s getting harder for me to breathe. Soon, I have reason for my swelling anxiety in the form of two fresh corpses on the floor. Dante and Sherry.

“Single bullet wounds to the head,” Lucas says, doing a quick observation. “Sherry brought him food and set Dante free, by the looks of it.”

Mitch finds Tassia’s phone next to the doorway, the screen cracked. “Shit. She was here. Someone must’ve gotten to her.”

“Not someone. We know damn well who,” I say, rage taking over. “And I’ll bet…”

I pause as I remember something important. I mounted a small nanny cam just above the mantelpiece, embedded into an old photo frame when we brought Dante here. There’s a recorded feed on a dedicated app. I whip out my phone and log in.

“Dammit,” I say as the image comes up on the screen.

The three of us watch in growing horror as the earlier events unfold.

“Sherry and Dante were waiting for her. They probably knew she’d be cornered back up the mountain after Trevor’s order went out,” Lucas says through gritted teeth.

“Why didn’t she stay at our place?” Mitch asks, unable to take his eyes off the screen.

“Same reason we guessed brought her here. Easier access to the woods in case she had to make a run for it,” I tell them. “It makes sense, but…”

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