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Skyla was starving, which wasn’t surprising given how much energy she’d expended. She hadn’t eaten since lunch time with Blake and Brennan. God, that felt like a lifetime ago. “Hurry,” she said, seemingly to no one. “Please, just hurry.”
“They’re trying.” Hallie turned her head to look at Skyla. “They’ll find you. Orly won’t let go until they do.”
The door opened and Vivian came in with that look on her face that made Skyla shudder. It couldn’t have been more than half an hour since she’d left them alone, but she was back. Skyla remained perfectly still, hoping Vivian would think she was still too weak to heal again, which she absolutely was.
“Wake up,” Vivian sang out in a sickeningly cheerful tone. “Time for the healing to continue. We must impress your buyers.” And with a little laugh, she plunged the knife into Hallie’s thigh. Her friend let out a pained scream, and Skyla shook with fear and rage, determined to heal the wound.
***
Losing his mind wasn’t going to help matters, but if Blake heard Orly scream one more time, he wasn’t sure if he could keep himself from going nuclear. He was using the store’s computer to search for possible locations Vivian might have taken the women to, while Garrett and Tanner, who arrived minutes ago after their shifts ended, were using their phones to hunt down possible leads.
Luke had called in a favor to get all traffic camera feeds in a two-block radius around The Mystic Cow routed to his phone from the last three hours, and Caden was pacing, which worried Blake more than if he was actually losing his shit or barking orders.
Martin was working at the firehouse tonight, but checked in every fifteen minutes for updates, and to remind his friends he was available as soon as they needed him.
Blake stood abruptly from the chair Hallie usually sat in. The pool of blood was just to his left and it reeked, but he did his best to ignore it for now. They couldn’t call in the cavalry. Not with Orly communicating with Hallie, and her gift was the fastest way they were going to find the women.
“I think I got something,” Blake said. “Orly, did you say that Skyla said the place had a sign in the shape of Texas in front? Ask her if it has blue doors.”
Everyone went dead quiet, all eyes on the woman who’d been tearing their hearts out with her screams and moans, the only signs they had that Hallie was still alive.
They waited until Orly looked back at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes for the first time since this ordeal began. “Yes, Skyla says the doors are blue or some aqua color.”
“I think I know where Vivian has them.” Blake turned the monitor around to face the guys. “The place doesn’t have a name, but it has the Texas sign out front and it’s been abandoned for years. It’s also just about thirty minutes north of us, which goes with what Skyla said about it being a short trip.”
“Let’s go.” Caden was storming out the door, not bothering to wait for anyone else. Blake put the address into his phone’s GPS and followed. When Luke and Orly started to go with them, both Blake and Caden stopped them. “You two should stay here,” Blake said.
Orly was about to put up a fuss, but Blake put one hand on each of her shoulders, and pulled her in for a hug. “I need you safe.” He couldn’t handle another person he cared about being in danger, especially not when with her already being so vulnerable because of her ability. “You’re our only connection to Hallie and Skyla.” Just saying Skyla’s name made his chest constrict painfully. He couldn’t imagine the pain Hallie was enduring, but Skyla…fuck - she’d die before giving up on Hallie, and he knew it. They all did. “Please, stay here with Luke, and keep talking to Hallie. She needs you, Orly. You’re her only connection to us. Tell her we’re coming, Okay?” His voice cracked and he hid the involuntary clenching of his fists from Orly. All his rage was directed at Vivian, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare Orly. She was suffering enough.
Orly nodded, but Luke glared at him, clearly wanting to argue. Blake couldn’t blame him, but Luke’s wife was here, in his arms, and she needed him. “We’ll find them, and bring them home,” Blake said, meeting Luke’s gaze. He wasn’t used to taking charge, but he wasn’t about to let his friends down. Not when they needed him the most. “Your only job is to take care of your wife.”
A resigned sheen of sorrow filled Luke’s eyes, but he nodded, wrapping his arms firmly around Orly. She turned into him, and he gave Luke a reaffirming nod. Blake would give anything to have Skyla in his arms right now. But he couldn’t bring himself to envy Luke. The man deserved every ounce of happiness he had with Orly.
Blake and the others got in his car. Seat belts pulled on, as he keyed the engine, then Blake peeled out of the parking spot, heading toward the highway.
They drove in a tense silence. Caden’s thoughts were no doubt on Hallie, but while Blake worried for her, he couldn’t stop thinking about Skyla. “The turnoff for the motel is just a few exits away,” Garrett said, pulling Blake out of his thoughts. “We should get off one exit before so they don’t spot us. It looks like the surrounding area is pretty deserted. Not much around except for vacant land and some sparse vegetation. We’ll need to go in on foot.”
“Copy that,” Blake said, his hands gripping the steering wheel hard enough to make his knuckles turn white. He’d seen how Skyla was after two healings in a row. What would she be like after hours of non-stop healing? He couldn’t think about that right now. He had no idea how she’d recover, but he’d do whatever it took to get her back. Then they could figure out the rest.
“Take it easy,” Garrett said. “You don’t want to come in hot and blow our cover before we’re ready to take them.”
“I know what I’m doing.” Blake was getting tired of people not trusting him. He might’ve screwed up in the past, but he wouldn’t screw this up. Not when Skyla’s and Hallie’s lives were on the line.
“My only priority is getting to Hallie,” Caden said. He looked over at Blake. “If I can get her out of there, you can focus on Skyla, and she won’t have to worry about trying to heal her.”
Blake nodded, not surprised Caden was thinking about everyone involved, despite his own fiancée being tortured and possibly near death. Blake would always have his back, but he’d kill anyone who got in his way of getting to Skyla.
His friends didn’t know yet. He hadn’t even told her. But he loved her. He loved that woman more than he thought it was possible to love someone, and he was going to fight with everything he had for his chance to tell her. Because he never should’ve waited this long to tell her how much she meant to him. How she lit up his entire world. How she comforted and eased him, how she made everything in his life seem lighter and better. How he felt like he could do anything because she believed in him.
He’d screwed up by keeping his feelings to himself. Well, never again. As soon as he had Skyla back in his arms, he’d tell her. Hell, he’d scream it from the damn rooftop. Because she wasn’t some dirty secret. She was his everything.
His breath hitched in his throat as he took the turn off the highway, one exit before the one the GPS was telling them to take.
“We’ll make sure you’re both covered,” Tanner said, steel determination in his tone.
Caden’s phone buzzed, and he yanked it out of his pocket. “Hallie was just stabbed again. Skyla can’t stop the bleeding.”
Blake held back a curse and made a hard left. He pushed over the curb and parked his vehicle off the road, near some overgrown shrubs where it hopefully wouldn’t be easily spotted. He could see the place from here. They were only maybe a quarter of a mile away. The distance was an easy hike. Now they just needed to solidify their plan.
