Hearths of Fire (44 page)

“Doc, we were able to get a helicopter in the air. Daegan’s contact was spot on and the agent in the helo spotted Patricia and Garreth Ashe,” Starr reported, coming to stand in front of him. Neal had separated from the group mere seconds ago to take a moment to himself. He slowly straightened, meeting her gaze. Starr had no remorse for the decision that she’d made and although he understood that she’d done her job as she had seen it, he didn’t have to like it. “You and the team will go in from the east since there’s more coverage there. Patricia and Garreth have some sort of bonfire lit and if what Robert Ashe had to say is true, they’ll try to use that to finalize this ritual they’re so hell bent on completing.”

“Did the agent get a lock on Charlotte?” Neal clutched the aftermarket Hogue grips until his fingers were numb. This helpless feeling wasn’t something he was used to and he damn well never wanted to experience it again. If—no, when—they extracted Charlotte, he would never allow this to happen again. “Were they able to see from the air if Sally Jenkins’ vehicle was abandoned on Fred Lamm’s property?”

“They have sights on Jenkins’ vehicle, but no sight of her, the man she was with, or Charlotte.” Starr shifted her stance as she studied him. “The moment we receive confirmation that Charlotte is within fifty feet of Patricia and Garreth you and the team will move past your designated line of departure indicated here.”

“And if she’s dead?” Neal didn’t need to spell out that he was referring to Charlotte and not the two other ladies. He couldn’t give a flying fuck what happened to the other women. “What then?”

“Charlotte’s not dead.” Starr didn’t hesitate in her answer and met him stare for stare. “If you love her like I think you do you’d know it. Besides, Patricia and Garreth need her and by the time they take the blade to Charlotte’s wrists—as Robert has told us—you’ll be there to stop them with only that level of force which is necessary. Do you read me?”

“Did you know when Red died? Did you feel it?” Neal honestly didn’t ask Starr those questions to rub in the fact that her husband was dead or to make himself feel any better in this time of unknown. He truly wanted to know for the sake of his sanity. “Were you aware he was gone before you received the call?”

“No, I didn’t.” Starr’s voice hadn’t softened with her answer, although she didn’t appear offended by Neal’s inquiry. He did notice that she bit the inside of her lip a few seconds before continuing to speak and wondered if that was a nervous tic. He’d never seen her do that before. Then again, he had a lot on his mind and it might not have meant anything. “I still don’t feel as if he’s gone. I feel his presence every day, but then that’s my cross to bear. Charlotte
is
waiting for you, so I suggest you get your ass in gear. The moment we get the call you and the team will execute what you are trained for. This will be just as successful as our first mission. Is that clear?”

“Crystal, ma’am.” Neal couldn’t put a finger on the reason why he felt slightly better about what was about to take place, but it didn’t negate the fact that he did. Standing, he checked his sidearm and hooked the strap of his suppressed MP5SD-N1 over his shoulder and then proceeded over to where the team was performing their own weapons check. Once again, the only one missing was Daegan who’d already left on foot to gain a position that would give an advantage in elevation should he need to take a long distance shot. Neal needed the team to know one thing and he waited to speak until all eyes were on him. “The woman I love is in the hands of these fucking lunatics. She comes out alive ahead of all these fuckers.”

*

The woodland terrain
that the team was hunkered down in was really just the same as it had been when he had hunted this entire area in his youth. Mature hardwood trees with abundant scrub brush had turned to their autumn colors but still refused to let the gold and red leaves fall. The ground was still moist and soft. The cold nights hadn’t hardened the ground quite yet. The smell of fall was strong in the night air and the deer were moving to the harvested open fields to pack on weight for the coming winter.

Tonight the team’s game was much different than that normally in season and the men doing the hunting were all experts at killing in all its forms. Their prey was far out-matched in every imaginable way except one—they had the initiative and that was all that mattered right now.

Neal had his headgear in place and followed behind Stick as they made their way through the densely populated underbrush. Walking slowly through the woods, they placed their boots in the same place of the person they were shadowing to make less impact and noise with the ground. Their earpieces were working properly and giving them detail-by-detail of what was transpiring in the small open area where Patricia and Garreth Ashe were currently holding Charlotte.

“Pick up your speed.” Starr’s voice was strong and resonated through the tiny device. “It appears that Tango One has our objective at waypoint goal line. Press to contact.”

Neal did his best not to break out into a full run into the clearing, although Gunny did quicken his pace. Daegan would not hesitate to take the shot this time. If the team couldn’t make it to Charlotte before Patricia or Garreth executed their plan, his friend would do what had to be done. Sure as hell, a Lapua Scenar .338 caliber 300-grain hollow point boat-tailed round could put a very final end to any threat short of a polar bear. The Ashes had to have heard the helicopter by now, which would be a valid reason to hurry along with their plot to kill both Charlotte and Garreth.

The feds had taken over at the compound, doing their best to question Robert Ashe and the members. In the short time that the team had taken to gather the intel needed from Daegan’s contact, one of the federal agents had shared with Starr the information in relation to what Patricia felt would lead them to all eternity. That shit was messed up, but there was no time to dwell on it. Daegan’s informant was positive that there was no additional land acquired under their name. It didn’t take long to break one of the key members into confessing that he’d helped take large stacks of firewood over to the back of Fred Lamm’s property and dig a firepit.

“Garreth, she’s going to kill us!”

It was at that very moment that the team broke through into the clearing. Neal had known they were coming up on the edge of their cover just as his other team members had been aware of it. They each flipped up their night vision optics monocular when the light coming from the fire had flared in their dominant optoelectronic-aided vision. It hung just above his right eye on its headgear mount as his vision quickly adjusted to take in the sight before him. It was as if it were a scene in one of those classic occult horror films. Patricia and Garreth Ashe were dressed in white cloaks standing before a large bonfire. Sally Jenkins was to their right watching in what seemed like delight while a man did his best to hold a struggling Charlotte in front of the flames. The moment Patricia took the knife and attempted to slice Charlotte’s arm, Neal heard Daegan’s shot call before the bullet hit its intended target.

By the time any of the witnesses, including Charlotte, realized what had taken place…Patricia Ashe dropped to the ground like a sack of rocks with a neat .338 caliber hole in one side of her misshapen head. A large exit wound expelling a massive cloud of pink mist was seen as the knife was still firmly in her grasp. The team managed to take the rest of them down one by one without any more fatalities. The man who’d been holding Charlotte captive had immediately thrown her to the ground and put his hands up in surrender. Gunny reached him first and had the male subject lying face down in the grass as Stick covered Garreth who was kneeling over his mother’s body, pulling her into his arms and rocking back and forth as he howled unintelligibly. The sentiment was lost on all of them and while Stick took care of the supposed messiah who was calling out his mother’s name, Diesel and Trigger had Sally well contained. The fear on her face was in regards to the shepherd baring his canines and letting out a low rumbling growl of warning. Neal took care of what mattered most.

“You’re safe,” Neal murmured against Charlotte’s neck as she wrapped her arms around him. The strength in her grip surprised him, but as his arms enfolded her waist the only thought that resonated through his mind was that she was secure. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Neal held her until he heard footsteps approaching from behind. The federal agents would be all over them and the fact that they now had a fatality on their hands. He had no doubt that Starr would handle the fallout from this, but it still meant that Daegan would have to be debriefed. Neal glanced up to where his friend would still be positioned, covering their backs until Starr or Gunny gave him the order to pull out. He would mark his firing position for the post-op report and the investigation that would surely be fast on their heels. He held up his thumb to acknowledge his thanks, knowing that Daegan would see the gesture.

“I knew you’d come for me,” Charlotte whispered, not easing up on the tension in her arms. Neal didn’t mind her tight hold. He had no intention of letting her go in the near future either. Her body was trembling and he would have given anything to erase the fear that she must have felt. “I have so much to tell—so much to say.”

“Did they hurt you?” Neal pulled back slightly so that he could see her beautiful face and take inventory. He’d expected tears, he’d expected anger, he’d expected a lot of things from her but as usual she continued to surprise him. There was a radiant smile upon her face that he hadn’t seen since before her parents had died. His heart seemed to have somehow gotten lodged in his throat and he had to swallow several times before he could speak. “Are you hurt, Char?”

“The stun gun didn’t feel too good against my neck, but I’m okay.” Charlotte rose on her tiptoes so that she could wrap her arms around his neck, heedless of the chaos that was now taking place around them. Neal knew he didn’t have much time with her, but damned if he would release his hold on her…even if it was only her hand as the federal agents asked their questions. They were in for a long night, but it didn’t matter as long as she was safe. Fuck, he’d walk through the fire in front of him if it meant she got to live her life with that luminous smile on her lips. “
We’re
okay, Neal. We’re more than okay.”

‡

C
harlotte slowly opened
her eyes and the events of the night before came rushing back until she was sitting up in bed. She was naked, with no idea how that came to be and she kept a hold of the sheet to her breasts. She looked around her room and wasn’t sure how long she’d slept or even had an inkling of the time of day. There did seem to be light behind the shades on the windows, but it was hard to tell the exact hour. Her bedside clock wasn’t shining its green display as usual and she wondered if Neal had unplugged it. Unfortunately, turning her head reminded her of the minor injury to her neck. It was still quite sore, but as long as she was alive, she’d get over it eventually.

Throwing off the covers, Charlotte brought her legs over the edge and scooted forward until her feet hit the carpet. She dug her toes into the soft strands and looked down. She was still here to enjoy the little things that made daily life endlessly diverse. How was it that something so small could overwhelm her senses? She imagined that she was feeling this way because she had survived. There was a medical term for it, but she found herself unable to shake the syndrome.

Voices could be heard from somewhere in the house and Charlotte wondered if it was the team. It had taken the rest of the night and into the morning hours to answer the federal agent’s questions and by the time she was done, Catori Starr and her team had wrapped up their professional services. Neal had brought Charlotte back to the house and she’d been grateful that he’d not let go of her hand the entire time. He’d heard everything she had to say and she’d been there when he’d given his statement as well. She was relatively sure that Starr had something to do with Neal being able to stay with her. Charlotte wanted to thank the other woman for that, so she walked to her dresser and threw on a pair of sweat pants and a mismatched sweatshirt. She snatched a hair tie after she’d utilized the bathroom and then made her way to the kitchen.