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Autumn drew in a deep breath, her body aching from the run through the jungle and the guard she took down. Fucking Joseph couldn’t just do something as simple as confronting her. No, he had her traipsing through a jungle filled with bugs and assholes he’d hired.
Maybe she should have waited, or maybe she should have driven up to the house. And yes, she should have contacted the team somehow. She wasn’t usually erratic like this. One thing Sam had taught her was to always have a plan.
About half-way to her destination, she had realized her mistake. Going in without backup was stupid. Still, she knew that there was a good chance Joseph was following her progress through the traffic cams. Just how long had he been watching her? That’s why she always felt eyes on her, at least these lastfew weeks. Either way, her impulsive behavior might have been a mistake, but she’d made sure to leave lots of clues for the team.
There was also a chance that something really bad had happened to Sam and that’s why they had the really bad fake picture. Joseph had always been a loser surrounded by losers, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have tried to get to Sam.
Just as she had that thought, she heard a twig snap behind her. She turned to confront the guard, then had to look up.Great. He was massive. He was close to six-foot-five and probably outweighed her by at least one hundred and fifty pounds, with a large scar down his right cheek. He was bald with Pacific Islander features.
“Mr. Watters wants to talk to you.”
She knew he did and should let this behemoth take her in. It would be easier and faster, but it was also what Joseph wanted. And one thing she had learned was that giving Joseph what he wanted wasn’t worth the price. She knew she would get taken in. Hell, she was heading to his house, but the asshole wanted her humiliated.
“I don’t give a fuck.”
His eyes widened. “You need to come with me.”
“So, is Sam at the house?”
He didn’t say anything, but he looked away briefly. That told Autumn that she had been right. Thank God.
“You need to come with me,” he said again.
She settled her weight, getting ready for a fight. “Make me.”
There was a long beat of silence. The dripping of water and the bugs buzzing were the only sounds between them. Slowly, his mouth curved, then turned into a grin that sent ice coursing through her blood. He was missing two front teeth. Lovely. He was definitely aTrue Believer.
He launched at her, trying to take her down, but she quickly thwarted him. He was big, but that size made it hard for himto move. She slipped beneath his arm as he reached for her, hurrying to get behind him. Her triumph was short-lived when he twisted around and grabbed her arm. Fuck, his fingers dug into her flesh as she tried to yank it free.
“It would be easier if you would just come in. You’re here to see him.”
That was true, and it was stupid to fight this, but she wanted to go in on her terms. If she was going to possibly die, she would do it the wayshewanted to. That meant mainly being a pain in the ass. Also, the more time she spent fighting them, the more time TFH would have.
She relaxed her arm. The guy did have an advantage because of his size, but she had a good idea that he wasn’t that smart.
“Fine. But can you let go of my arm? I think you’ve bruised me. Not sure Joseph will like that.”
His eyes widened, fear stamped on his features. TheseTrue Believersalways thought Joseph had special abilities. He loosened his hold, and she yanked her arm out and turned to run.
“Summer Joy!”
Yep. They all called her by her former name. She ran through the jungle area, sure she was stomping through filming scenes for the show about the people stranded on an island. There was also a good chance she could run into a wild boar, and those things scared her more than the giant now traipsing after her. Jesus, she thought she was loud.
But as she thought she had just gotten away over a ridge, a massive body ran into her from the right, taking her down. It wasn’t the other guard, but someone just as enormous. They hit the ground so hard that Autumn knew he’d knocked the air out of her. Her head hit something hard, and pain vibrated from her temple, exploding through her body.
The first guard stopped just a few steps away from her.
“Tsk, tsk, Summer Joy. We could have done this the easy way. Look what you made Bart do.”
“Bart?”
She turned to look at the idiot approaching her. “Your name is Bart?”
He opened his mouth to say something but didn’t get the chance. Instead, her head started to spin.
Her last thought was that she hoped TFH followed the clues she left, and then her entire world turned black.
fourteen
