Chapter 253
CMWMBB 54
COLTON
You learn quickly in my line of work that waiting is the most dangerous part.
Not the breach.
Not the gunfire.
Not even the aftermath.
Waiting.
Because waiting gives your mind room to imagine the worst and imagination has teeth.
We’d positioned our men along the perimeter of the last confirmed signal ping just before dusk. A semi-rural stretch. It was quiet and too clean. The kind of place people chose precisely because no one paid attention to it. Long driveways, trees heavy with shadow, properties spaced far enough apart to keep secrets comfortable.
The properties here were bought under shell companies.
I sat in the driver’s seat of an unmarked SUV, engine idling low, eyes fixed on the house ahead. Connor was in the vehicle behind me, monitoring feeds and chatter through his headset. Our people were spread out in a loose ring-no lights, no noise, no mistakes.
We didn’t rush.
Minutes stretched.
Then half an hour.
Then an hour.
Nothing.
No movement. No lights. No silhouettes crossing windows.
Too quiet.
I checked my watch for the third time and exhaled slowly through my nose.
“Something’s off,” I muttered.
Connor’s voice came through the earpiece. “Agreed. But this is the strongest ping we’ve had. If she moved Iris, this would be the logical midpoint p>
Logical.
Andrea wasn’t logical when she panicked.
She was theatrical.
A flicker of headlights cut through the trees.
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“Movement,” one of our men murmured over comms.
An SUV rolled up the driveway-black, tinted, expensive but not flashy. It stopped just short of the house. Doors opened. Shapes moved in and out, too fast to identify clearly.
Then the doors shut again.
And the SUV stayed.
We watched.
Thirty minutes passed.
Then forty-five.
Ty pulse ticked higher with every second.
If Iris was inside, this was the longest stop they’d made since the move order came down.
An hour in, the SUV came back to life.
“Eyes up,” I said quietly.
The vehicle rolled down the driveway and merged back onto the road.
Connor’s voice sharpened. “That’s our cue p>
We fell in behind them, spacing tight but not aggressive. Two cars ahead, one behind. Clean. Invisible. The road narrowed as it curved through trees, the sky bruised purple with oncoming night.
I leaned forward slightly, scanning the rear window of the SUV.
I was looking for movement.
For a head turning.
For a shadow shifting.
For anything that told me a seven-year-old girl was inside.
I saw nothing.
My gut clenched.
We closed the distance slowly, timing our approach with the road’s bends.
“Get ready,” Connor said. “We’re intercepting in ten p>
My hand tightened on the wheel.
Five seconds later, I was sure.
“No,” I said under my breath.
Connor heard it. “What p>
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“There’s no kid in that car p>
A beat.
Then-“Confirm p>
“They’re driving too clean,” I said. “No agitation. No adjustments. No checks. You don’t transport a child like that p>
Silence crackled over the line.
Then Connor swore. “They knew p>
word hit like a punch.
y fucking knew,” he repeated. “This is a decoy p>
y heart slammed against my ribs.
“Abort intercept,” I snapped. “Do not spook them p>
“Agreed,” Connor said. “Pull back p>
But I was already scanning the road ahead, adrenaline flooding my system.
Andrea didn’t move Iris once.
She split her.
I glanced at the GPS mounted on the dash-another f
“Connor,” I said sharply. “There’s another route p>
“What p>
signal blinked to life, barely registering, heading west.
“Secondary signal,” I said. “Weak, but it’s moving fast. She split the convoy p>
“Fuck,” Connor breathed. “Colton p>
“I’m breaking off p>
“Colton-wait p>
I killed the comms.
I swerved hard at the next fork in the road, tires screaming briefly before catching. The decoy SUV disappeared behind me as I slammed the accelerator down.
The road ahead was narrower. Rougher. Less traveled.
My pulse roared in my ears.
Come on.
Come on.
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Ten minutes later, I saw it.
A car pulled off the side of the road, hazard lights blinking weakly. One door hung open. The engine was still running.
Abandoned-but not long enough to cool.
I slammed the brakes and jumped out before the car fully stopped.
My guns were up and eyes sharp.
“Clear,” I muttered to myself.
I approached slowly, senses screaming.
The smell hit first.
Metal.
Sweat.
Something chemical-sweet and wrong.
Then I saw them.
Two men sprawled inside the vehicle-one slumped in the passenger seat, the other twisted halfway onto the floor, unmoving. Their chests rose shallowly. Alive. Barely.
Unconscious.
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
“No, no, no-” I muttered, scanning frantically.
The back seat was empty.
But there-
A small sneaker on the floor.
Pink. Scuffed at the toe.
My breath left me in a rush.
“She was here,” I whispered.
I holstered my weapon and grabbed the nearest man by the collar, shaking him hard.
“Wake up,” I growled. “Wake the fuck up p>
His head lolled uselessly.
I slapped his face once. Twice.
His eyes fluttered open.
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.