their new guest had come alone. What he saw was rocks, and nothing else.
Tucker placed his palm on the reader. This time the sound was more a heavy click than a whoosh. He pulled the door open, but stayed in the shadows as his men closed the distance.
The prisoner was walking in the middle of the group, his head down. Not defeated, more like he was conserving his energy.
Once everyone was inside, Tucker then led the way to the waiting elevator car. It was large enough to hold all of them with plenty of room to spare.
It wasn’t until the doors shut that he turned to the prisoner.
“Look at me,” Tucker said.
The prisoner didn’t move.
One of the guards reached out and pushed the man’s chin up so that Tucker could see his face.
“Who the fuck are you? And what are you doing on my land?” Tucker said.
The prisoner smiled like he was the smartest man in the room and had no interest in talking to any of them.
Tucker shook his head. “You don’t want to mess with me.”
The man let out a laugh.
Tucker counted to five, then punched the guy in the face, knocking him backward into the wall. He slumped down, blood pouring from his nose.
They left him there until the doors opened again.
“Put him in the room two doors down from the woman,” Tucker said.
He stepped through the opening, then headed for his office. He’d let the bastard stew in his own blood for a while before he started the serious questioning. But he wouldn’t wait too long.
He didn’t want to let his own anger fade.
CHAPTER
29
QUINN AND NATE WATCHED FROM A DISTANCE AS the guards walked into what had to be the main entrance to Yellowhammer. Someone had been waiting for them just inside the door, but whoever it was remained in the shadows, unidentifiable.
Quinn knew if they were going to try to get inside, this wouldn’t be the way. He examined the map Peter had sent them, then glanced up to get his bearings.
“We’ll head for that hill over there,” he whispered, pointing at a mound to the northwest.
“Should we check in?” Nate said.
Quinn shook his head. “It’s fine. We’ll let her sleep.”
“We’ve been gone a long time. I’ll bet she’s not sleeping.”
Nate was right. Knowing Orlando, she was still waiting up for them.
“I’ll text her, okay?” Quinn said, annoyed.
“Fine. Okay. Whatever you want.”
Quinn pulled out his phone and tapped in a quick message, then pressed Send.
Still on recon. All good. Get some sleep.
“Happy?” Quinn said to Nate.
“I’m always happy. I was just watching out for you.”
Quinn stared at him for a moment, then broke away. “I’ll lead.”
There was no cinderblock hut covering the back door to Yellowhammer. There was no need. It had been built utilizing the existing entrance to a mine hidden by several boulders. Quinn only knew this because of a notation on the map. Finding the actual entrance was another story.
They fanned out, each taking a section of the hill that looked like the best bet. At first Quinn thought he’d come up dry. It was just more rock on rock. A glance over at Nate told him his apprentice was doing no better.
Quinn walked twenty feet up the slope and took another look around, not expecting much. But then his eyes stopped on a flat-top rock sticking out from the side of the hill.
He made his way over to it, half walking, half slipping across the gravelly surface. There was something about the surface of the rock. Some of the color along the top seemed odd, lighter.
There were dozens of them, each leading toward the edge of the rock that hung out into the air. Something had been moved. Something big. He peered over the side. There, leaning against the scraped rock, was another slab.
“Over here,” he called out.
