And he’d be damned if Pale was going to look for Rune and Beth while he stayed behind.
“I’m coming too.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Black said.
“I don’t care whether you think it’s a good idea or not. I’m telling you I’m coming.”
“You don’t—” Black started, but Emmy held up a hand.
“If we need to question campers, having an extra person along might be useful. But Alaric, if we have to go into the forest, Black’s right—we’re trained for this, and you aren’t.”
“Even him?” Alaric pointed at Pale.
Black nodded.
“Please, work with us on this?” Emmy asked.
Deep down, Alaric knew what she said made sense. Yes, he’d once have been an assassin by trade, but he’d specialised in the cleaner side of things. Investigation, infiltration, and a quick double-tap to the head when the time was right, not jungle warfare.
He also knew how hard Emmy and Black trained. Whatever bust-up they’d had the other week didn’t seem to have affected their working relationship, and if anyone could find Ridley in the Smoky Mountains at night, it was them.
“Okay. I’ll let you take the lead.”
“Yeah, I saw him,” the guy in the plaid shirt said, peering out from under an RV awning. The rain fell at a steady drizzle. “Yesterday? Day before? Comin’ out of the shower. But I ain’t seen him since. Is he the asshole shootin’ out there? I told the cops it weren’t no ranger. They use shotguns for huntin’ the boar around here, and I know a shotgun when I hear one.”
“We’re not sure,” Black said, wiping raindrops off the photo. “You’re certain it was the same man?”
“Always was good with faces. What’d he do?”
“You haven’t been watching TV?”
“Don’t own no TV. Destroy your brain, those things.”
“He’s wanted by the police. Did you notice what vehicle he was driving?”
His friend waved a beer can. “Green sedan. Drove it over yonder.” He waved at the far side of the campground. “I tried to tell him that wasn’t the way out, but he cussed me somethin’ proper and kept goin’.”
“What’s over there?”
“Don’know. I’m just here for the fishin’. Hey, Hank! What’s along that track over there? The one with the ‘no entry’ sign?”
A third guy wandered out of the RV, his wide-brimmed hat decorated with fishing lures. “Go a mile, and you’ll find an old house. The NPS used to store supplies there, but people kept breaking in so they abandoned the place. Ain’t nothing there now but rats.”
He’d got that part right.
“This is where we part company,” Emmy murmured.
More than anything, Alaric wanted to charge down the track with his gun drawn, but he’d agreed to hold back. He didn’t break his word. And this was one time being acquainted with Black could actually work in his favour. If anyone could defeat Ridley, it was that asshole.
“Just be careful.”
“Always am. But if Ridley gets past us and heads back this way, would you mind shooting the fucker?”
As if she had to ask.
“It’d be my pleasure.”
CHAPTER 49 - EMMY
BLACKWOOD USED A modular system for its gear, packed away in custom bags designed by Bradley. When he wasn’t busy shopping and decorating, he did have his uses. We selected the essentials for tonight’s excursion—first aid kits, survival equipment, emergency rations, water canteens, tech goodies, and of course, appropriate weapons.
Usually, my weapon of choice was a Walther PPQ, but tonight, I’d swapped it for an AR-15 fitted with a combined night-vision and thermal-imaging scope as my primary weapon. As a backup, I carried a P99 with tritium night sights plus a laser sight on the under-barrel accessory rail. We practised regularly in low-light conditions, and it was my favourite combination.
“Is my face okay?” Ana asked.
I smudged warpaint over a patch she’d missed. It was oil-based, which meant it shouldn’t wash off in the rain. “Mine?”
“Good.”
Black and Pale were ready too. I’d been a little surprised when Pale volunteered his services, but quite frankly, he owed us for that dodgy alibi he’d provided for Black, so helping with the search for Ridley was the least he could do. And if nothing else, it would be interesting to see how Black’s old partner in crime operated. He’d semi-retired until he got talked back into the game not so long ago. Before we left the hotel, I’d quietly questioned whether he was the best man for the job, but Black had given a firm nod.
“That asshole moves like smoke through the trees, and wait until you see him track.”
I found out what Black meant as soon as we started down the rutted path. I knew Pale was there in front of us, but I couldn’t see him, not unless I used my night vision. The guy just blended. I understood at once where Black had learned his night combat skills, and holy hell, I needed Pale to teach me how to skulk like that.
Moving carefully, it took us a smidgen over an hour to confirm we were on the right path. Ridley had tried to hide the Toyota under the trees, but he hadn’t done a great job of it. The tail lights gleamed when the clouds let the moon show for a moment. The licence plates had been changed, but the prison guard’s uniform he’d stolen was lying on the back seat. We spiked the tyres just in case he tried to get away, then carried on to the old house. It had been beautiful in its day, two storeys with a small front porch and white siding, but now? It was a house of horrors, all
