Page 80 of Raven's Curse
Royce sighed. “It’s been a while since I used my skills to save anyone, though, I didn’t do half bad.”
“I’m the one you want. Why didn’t you just knock on my damn door?”
“Oh, I want you, Chase.” The camera flipped back to Carver, the left side of his face marred with burns and scars, just like Chase had thought he’d spotted from Rhett’s room that last night, when that figure had walked past. “I want you to suffer. To know how we felt, lying there, waiting for you to come back. Killing you would be too easy, but this…” He laughed. “This way you get to choose.”
“Choose what?”
“Who you’re going to save. You see, I brought along another friend…” Carver angled the phone until Buck appeared behind him. Similar position minus the blood. “It’s just like old times.”
“Just tell me when and where.”
“I assume your teammates already plotted the coordinates. Be here. One hour. No helicopters. You can catch a lift from that boat captain your buddy Everett’s in love with. Bring him and Sinclair, though, in the end, it’ll come down to you.” He pulled the phone away, then stepped back into the frame. “I mean it. If I hear one hum of a rotor, see Beckett’s face anywhere close to me — I’ll kill them both. See you soon, Remington.”
The line cut off, eerie silence filling the room. Chase stared at the screen, Greer’s image playing in his head. He never should have left her alone. Vulnerable. If she died…
He’d be lost, and nothing would bring him back.
Zain clapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Saylor’s readying her Zodiac. She’ll have it running by the time we get there. I’ll pack… everything, though, I’m sure he’ll make us discard any weapons.”
Foster had his chopper on the tow cart. “I know he said no helicopters, but I’ll find a place to set it down before he knows I’m there. Mac, too. We’ll get her back.”
Chase looked his best friend in the eyes, his own uncertainty mirrored in Foster’s, then grabbed his medic bag. He tossed in extra supplies, strapped on his Sig, then made a beeline for his truck. Nick rang his cell, but he let it go, typing out a quick text as he slipped behind the wheel — got the engine purring.
Kash jumped in with Nyx, tossing more bags in the back. “Bodie’s on his way. He’ll head out with Foster, while Jordan flies with Mac. In case we need a double rescue because there’s no way we’re making Greer wait.”
Chase merely nodded before he peeled out, Zain following behind. He took the road at an insane speed, his wipers tapping out a steady rhythm. He hit the turnoff a few minutes faster than usual, bumping his way down the winding lane before skidding to a halt in front of the pier.
Saylor looked over at them from behind the helm, the Zodiac’s engine chugging in the background. She seemed oblivious to the wind and the rain, waving them over as the last of the light bled into black.
The boat dipped as they piled on, crowding under the canopy as Zain tossed in the lines, then jumped onboard. Saylor hit the throttle, guided them out, the surf pounding the shore, spraying across the bow and down the sides. The wind howled across the deck, dropping the temperature as she picked up speed — skipped the damn vessel across the water like a stone.
Chase stared into the darkness, heart hammering, his sanity a distant memory. He couldn’t talk, could barely breathe, as they headed south, each minute another chance for him to lose Greer.
Kash bumped his shoulder. “Your head in the game?”
Chase glanced at him. “Completely focused.”
“We’ll get her back. Royce obviously has something grandiose planned. That’ll be his undoing.”
“Unless he’s set it up so there’s no way to win.”
“We’ve beaten the odds before, brother. We’ll do it, again. Ride or die.”
Ride or die.
No hesitation. No doubts.
Just his team against Royce. And Chase wasn’t about to lose.
Saylor wove across the water, her spotlight accentuating the height of the waves. She somehow timed each surge perfectly, shooting out of every trough before the crest curled over — capsized them. A mix of fog and rain rolled across the surface, bleaching everything into a dull white.
Lights flashed along the shoreline, homes and beaches slowly turning into rugged cliffs and oversized boulders. Saylor danced around a few rocky islands, then angled the boat toward the shore, easing off the throttle.
The mouth of a large river gaped black against the surrounding white caps, the start of the last portion of their trip. Saylor took the junction, continuing along, her nav screens glowing bright in the darkness. She rolled the throttle back as the bridge materialized out of the mist, the large structure looming in the distance.
The Zodiac swayed against the rolling waves before she slowed to a halt fifty feet back from a makeshift dock. She peered at the water, though, Chase had no idea what she saw other than dark, foreboding depths.
She checked a screen, then shook her head. “Sorry guys, this is as far as I can take you until I can deal with that line strung across the water.”
