Page 95 of The Devil’s Feather

Her eyes gave nothing away when I showed her the video I’d already sent.

I wished I’d had some kind of contact, a ransom demand, anything, but both of our phones had remained dark. Rafael had voluntarily given me his passcode even though I hadn’t asked for it. Given what Mandeep had said about Molly, it was understandable, but I’d never used it until now. It felt weird and invasive.

He’d gotten some worried texts and voicemails, but everything else was just business as usual. As it turned out, he was much more curt over text with other people than he was with me. He also had minimal apps, no games, and most of his recent photos were candid shots of me that made me blush. Nothing salacious, but I’d never been with a man who wanted to take pictures of me like that.

Detective Corey was not reassuring. “Ma’am, I don’t mean to alarm you, but the first 24 hours are critical with missing persons. If you receive any information at all, keep me updated.”

I left, dragging my spirit behind me.

“We’re going to convene at Alice’s in Woodside,” Benson said. “You know how to get there?”

“I take it most of these folks have never been in the woods before,” Deandra muttered to me.

She wasn’t wrong. Some had worn hiking clothes. A few people had shown up in workout attire. There was an awful lot of impractical footwear, though. Mandeep waved us over; he wore a colorful Cotopaxi ensemble with new hiking boots.

Surprisngly, Benson was the one coordinating the search. I showed them the map, and they marked the coordinates on paper maps for everyone, since cell phones couldn’t be trusted. Benson also had a big bloodhound named Matilda with such a droopy face it looked like she was slowly melting.

“Benny, why do you have a bloodhound?” Mandeep asked.

They shrugged. “What? I watch a lot of true crime.”

Matilda did not seem impressed by life in general, but she obligingly whuffled all over Rafael’s sweater that I’d worn.

We drove in a caravan to the hiking trail closest to where the AirTag had been found and fanned out from there. Benson and Matilda stayed with me, Deandra, and Mandeep. It had been a few years since I’d done a proper hike in those steep hills, and it wasn’t long before my legs and ass were burning. Luckily, Mandeep had experience and a better sense of direction than the rest of us, and kept us from wandering in circles.

Hours crawled by. We’d stopped for a break when Matilda perked up.

“What is it, girl?” Benson kneeled beside her. “Did Timmy fall down the well?”

She shoved her nose into a patch of moss, tail wagging. With a loud bray, she lunged forward, nearly yanking the lead out of Benson’s hand. Hope bloomed in my chest as we jogged after her.

Matilda led us down a winding canyon, with the occasional detour for unpassable areas. Finally, we came upon a decent-sized shed; almost a warehouse. Benson gave the dog a signal, and she quieted. Four men in familiar black tactical gear stood guard outside. They all looked worse for wear: scrapes, fat lips, black eyes, bloody noses. Fucking good. They also did not look armed. Even better.

Apparently, I thought I was invincible because I started down toward them. Deandra grabbed my arm.

Benson waved a bulky satellite phone. “Stay put. I’ll tell the cops and everyone else. We don’t know if these guys are armed.”

I wanted to climb out of my skin. “Fuck that.” I pulled the 9mm out of my backpack. “I’m not waiting.”

Mandeep’s eyes popped wide. “Whoa, you know how to use that thing?”

I slapped the magazine in and clicked off the safety. “You can take the girl out of the country…me and Ms. Beretta here are old friends⁠1.”

He laughed faintly. “No wonder Rafael likes you.”

No one needed to know that I’d never shot anything more intimidating than a circular paper target. I didn’t even like shooting at the people-shaped targets. Hopefully, they didn’t see how my hands shook.

“I can back you up,” Benson said, flashing a .22 on their belt. “I grew up in Buttfuck Nowhere, Indiana.”

“Shit, does everyone have a gun?” Mandeep turned to Deandra, who shook her head. “I must have missed that group text.”

No time for cowardice. I crept down the hill; mostly to keep from sliding and shooting my own stupid ass. The guards perked up when they saw me.

I drew down on the closest one. “Open the door.”

He raised his hands. “Now, miss, let’s stay calm⁠—”

Fuck it. I didn’t need to be able to hear out of both ears. I racked the slide, covered one ear, raised the gun to the sky, and fired it. Everyone cringed, and birds took off from the trees in a squawking cloud. Cries came from behind me, and the sound of rushing feet. My unguarded ear rang like mad.