Page 75 of Two Favors Repaid

Emma felt the man’s sour breath on her cheek. It triggered a memory of the loving manner in which Rob had rubbed his cheek against hers when they’d made love. Emma closed her eyes, willing herself anywhere but here.

And then came a sound from outside the cabin.

Chapter 28

Rob

“Alma just confirmed,” Darryl began, using a low voice that Rob knew would carry less far than a whisper. “The cabin belongs to a Mr. Smith. The deed was transferred only three years ago, after the death of the original owner.”

“Three years ago.” Rob mulled that fact for a moment. It fit. “It’s Ford. It has to be him.”

They were lucky there was an almost full moon or they wouldn’t be able to see anything. They each had a flashlight, but they wouldn’t use it now.

They stared at the cabin standing before them at the end of a small clearing. It looked old and dilapidated, like no work had been done on it since it was built sixty years earlier. The roof was almost covered by the trees growing around it, each looking for the best access to the light.

But it wasn’t empty. Though the windows were shuttered closed, Rob saw a sliver of light peeking out from behind the shutters and under the door. There was light inside. And there had been smoke.

Darryl nodded in the semidarkness. “It might be him,” he finally conceded. “But it might be an innocent. You can’t go in shooting. We should wait for the team to get here.”

“It might take them hours to get here, Darryl,” Rob said, trying to sound calmer than he really was. “Emma might not have that long.”

“Fine. We’ll do it your way, Rob. What do you need me to do?”

Rob nodded. He’d been thinking about this all the way to the cabin. There were only two of them and Darryl wasn’t law enforcement. Rob was pretty sure his friend didn’t even have a gun.

“I’ll go in the front. You walk around the back. Wait a few minutes, give me time to get inside, then come up with some distraction. Break a window or something. Then move away to wait for the rest of the team.”

“That’s your plan?” Darryl hissed. “That’s a shitty ass plan, man.”

“It’s the best I’ve got. It’s the best Emma’s got. All we need now is a distraction, Darryl. Until the cavalry gets here.”

“Let me come through the front door with you. We’ll do this together,” Darryl said, flexing his powerful arms. There was no fear in his voice.

“No. Your job is to help me with the distraction then stand back and make sure the team finds us quickly. Trust me on this, Darryl, please.”

Darryl must have sensed something in his tone that made him concede.

“Okay, Rob, we’ll do it your way.”

“Remember, Darryl—three minutes.”

Rob checked his gun safety was on and placed the weapon in the back of his jeans. He headed into the clearing, making a straight line for the house, no longer concerned with stealth.

Although the cabin itself looked like it hadn’t been touched in years, the greenery around the porch had been trimmed.

Someone has been taking care of it.

Rob composed his expression, aiming for a friendly, tired look, and climbed onto the porch. The old wood creaked under his weight. He kept walking, half expecting to be shot through the door.

A risk worth taking.

He could take risks now, knowing that whatever happened to him, the cavalry was on its way. They would find Emma and get her safely home.

Of course, he’d rather they go home together.

All his senses were on alert. He touched the wooden door with the flat of his palm to steady himself for an instant before making his hand into a fist and rapping on the door loudly.

At first nothing happened.