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As they madetheir way through the forest, Seth pushed back on his panic. He didn’t know Joseph, but what he did know wasn’t good. Since he had been declared dead for over a decade, who knew what kind of mental state he was in. If he planned on stealing Autumn’s money, then he definitely did have a screw loose. He would have to come forward as her father to get it.
Those thoughts kept swirling in his head, even as he kept moving one foot in front of the other.
He heard Maya bark, and he turned. That was the sound he had been praying for. They followed the dog to an area where the vegetation had been disturbed. Yep, there had been a fight there, at least three individuals. Two larger people—definitely men—then smaller tracks.
Autumn.
His heart leaped up and almost choked him. She had left her car in an area where it would be easily found, then —if he was reading the signs correctly—she had left them all kinds of clues to her trail.
“Here, Captain,” Kap said, pointing to a rock. “There’s some blood.”
Even as every drop of his blood chilled, he nodded. He could not lose his mind because she was counting on them. Thankfully, it didn’t look like a lot of blood, but at least it was a sign.
Maya barked and strained against her lead.
“Let’s go,” he ordered as they started off in the direction Maya was telling them to go.
Hold on, Autumn. We’re coming.
Autumn woke slowly to darkness. For a few moments, her brain didn’t want to work. It was almost like her head had a puzzle with a few pieces missing. Speaking of her head, it was pounding like a freaking hammer. Gingerly, she sat up and sucked in a breath. Fuck, her ribs hurt.
Then…the events came rushing back to her. Freddy being killed, Joseph texting her, and the fight in the woods with Bart and his friend. Then…nothing.
She had left her phone back in the car, knowing that the area she was in had little to no cell service. Instead, she waited until she parked to turn off the phone, hoping she had given Charity enough of a trail to follow. Now, she hoped that Team Bravo was on their way to find her. Maybe she should have waited, but she was worried about what Joseph would do. There had to be some people here who really didn’t understand what Joseph was planning. Many of theTrue Believersweren’t the most intelligent. They lacked the critical thinking skills to avoid a man like Joseph Watters. He always seemed to walk away without a scratch, and his followers were ruined or dead.
Hopefully, Seth and his team would make it there before Joseph realized her money was out of reach.
She was in some kind of bedroom. It was small, with very little besides the bed and bedside table. There was no lamp, only an overhead light, and it was dark. She didn’t want to turn on the overhead light because it would definitely alert people if they were in the hallway. Of course, she might make noise, even moving in the bed if she were on the second floor.
She debated moving around. She had to know where she was and how much time had passed since she’d fainted. And she needed to know more about her surroundings before checking the house.
As carefully as possible, she stood and hobbled over to the window. The throbbing from her midsection told her she had definitely bruised a rib. It wasn’t the first time, so she knew what the pain was like. Of course, this was a little more intense, but she could take it. She had to until Team Bravo got to her.
Looking out the blinds, she realized she was on at least the house’s second floor. Guards patrolled the area but didn’t appear very good at their jobs. They were spending more time talking to each other than keeping an eye on things.
She heard the footsteps before a key sounded in the door. Well, she might not have made it out the door anyway. This way, she didn’t have to fight the lock.
She expected Joseph. Instead, a man in his mid to late twenties stepped into the room. He was wearing a dark polo shirt tucked into khaki shorts. He was in good shape but more on the small side. Oh, this one was going to be a definiteTrue Believer.
Short dark hair, a sharp, thin nose, and weirdly piercing grey eyes. If he were in a horror movie, he would definitely be the creature created by the madman. There was something off about his gaze as if he wanted her to acknowledge him. Why? Did she know him?
“Summer.”
“Wrong season, jackass.”
His mouth turned down in a frown. God, they were all such morally corrupt assholes, but they frowned on a woman using what they deemed curse words.
“Your father is waiting for you downstairs, but he thought you might want to clean up first.”
“It was then that she noticed the clothes he was holding. It looked like a dress from the nineteenth century.
“Nope.”
“Excuse me?”
Jesus, theseTrue Believerswere a pain in the ass.
“I said I was not wearing your weird ass clothes. Just take me to Joseph.”
