“Easy there, young lady, easy—you’re hurt,” the man said.

And then a woman’s voice cried, “Mercy!”

“Mama!”

Laine looked up through blurry vision and saw Devon standing over her. And then she passed out.

* * *

“We better move out of here fast,” Rawley said. “I don’t know what threat we got in here, so best slink around the back side of that house up there. One thing is for sure—we’re gonna have us one big goddamn fire here pretty soon. We have to go out the fence and through the woods and to the road, see if we can meet up with that nice copper again.” He pulled a large handheld bolt cutter off his belt and handed it to Cooper. “Stay to the shadows, Coop. Get us the hell out of here. This here girl is hurt.”

“That’s Laine,” Devon said, holding her shivering daughter tightly against her. “She’s the one who showed me the way to get out of here. Rawley, what if there are women and children in the house?”

Rawley seemed to consider this for a moment, then he transferred his burden into Spencer’s arms. “Well, since I planned this circus, I guess I’ll check the house.” He picked up his rifle again. “Don’t wait for me. Make tracks.”

Spencer lifted the young woman in his arms, getting her solidly against him. “Devon,” he said, “follow Cooper and try to be small as a shadow, in case there are snipers in here. I’m right behind you.”

They marched off in a group toward the back of the house and before going any closer to the buildings, Cooper stopped and made fast work of the fence, pulling back the loose aluminum so they could slip through. First Devon climbed through, and then Spencer ducked and maneuvered through. The woman was light in his arms, but she was so pale she almost gleamed in the moonlight. Cooper was the last to get through. “What about Rawley?” Spencer asked.

Right then there was the unmistakable report from a rifle and everyone froze.

“I hope he didn’t shoot anyone,” Spencer muttered.

“He’s not above it,” Cooper said, pressing on. “He’ll get out, don’t worry,” Cooper said. “That crafty old devil knows what he’s doing. Follow me,” he said. And Spencer doubted Cooper was a tracker, but he was the only one without a body in his arms, so he led them through the thick growth and trees. By the time they got through the woods and met the road, they also met Rawley.

“We heard a shot,” Cooper said.

“Yeah, I blew the lock off the gate and opened it up. We need us a fire truck and ambulance,” he said. He stripped off his shirt, draped it over Mercy and partly over Devon and asked, “She doin’ okay there, Mama?”

“I think so. Scared and wet, but okay.”

Laine stirred and groaned in Spencer’s arms. He stopped walking, looked down at her. “We’ll get you some help. Is there anyone left in the compound?” he asked.

She shook her head. “He got away,” she whispered. “Mercy?”

“I’ve got her, Laine,” Devon said. “We’re getting out of here.”

“I can walk,” she said, wiggling a bit in Spencer’s arms.

“You wouldn’t make it two steps. Let’s go.”

“Stay behind me,” Rawley said, handing off his rifle to Cooper. Then he took off at a jog down the road.

They half jogged, half power walked down the road for a good half hour—it was at least a mile, maybe closer to two. Rawley was ahead by a hundred yards and he approached the police vehicles with his arms high in the air. And suddenly the place lit up and was brought to life by a SWAT team, many police vehicles, Fire and Rescue and lots of guns pointed right at him.

“We got wounded,” he yelled, and they charged him, guns drawn, securing him in handcuffs real fast.

Then they charged the rest of the party, same drill. Except, they didn’t cuff them all. They just took the weapons and brought them forward.

Things began to happen fast. Rawley told them the place seemed to be deserted but for this wounded woman and the child, but one of the warehouses was on fire and it smelled like burning green cannabis. Laine was taken to an ambulance, Mercy and Devon were taken to another while Cooper, Spencer and Rawley were held and locked into the back of police vehicles. From where they sat they could see SWAT move down the road in their armored vehicle with lots of armed men hanging on. They were followed by the fire department at a safe distance, waiting for an all-clear to go in and fight the fire. More vehicles appeared, a helicopter flew overhead and a spotlight was shone down on the area. Dogs were pulled out of police cars by their handlers and they jogged to the scene.

While there had been a couple of Trooper vehicles a couple of hours ago, now there was a small army. Floodlights were up, sirens wailed, radios chattered.

And Rawley said to Spencer and Cooper, “It’s always better when they don’t shoot back. I can’t believe we got ’em out that easy.”

Spencer and Cooper exchanged looks and said in unison, “Easy?”

He grinned, showing off his straight, white dentures. “You’re just pups. Spoiled little pups.”

* * *

Everyone in the rescue party was detained for questioning and because they were separated, Devon had no idea what had happened to Rawley, Spencer and Cooper. She was allowed to stay with Mercy and they were taken to the hospital together where Mercy was checked over by a pediatrician. It wasn’t long before she was reunited with her friends from the FBI, including Emma Haynes. She explained everything that had happened and urged them to call Deputy McCain to verify. They didn’t grill her like before—this time they asked her some questions, then let her join Mercy in a hospital room where she lay down with her.

In the morning Agent Haynes informed her that the fire had been stopped before it spread into the forest, but some buildings were destroyed. Jacob had tried to escape down a hidden back road that led out of the compound via the river, but when he reached a closed road and was met with armed police, there was an exchange of gunfire. He was killed.

And she cried. Sobbed against Emma Haynes’s shoulder.

She wasn’t sure if it was relief, that he could never threaten her or hold her captive again, or if there was something inside her that was a sense of loss.

Devon asked about the other women and children. Charlotte had rescued her son and little Liam, but Priscilla had stayed behind with Jacob. Her body was found in the house. Not even Laine could explain what had happened, but clearly Jacob shot her. Perhaps with Mercy rescued, he didn’t need her anymore. Of all the people in The Fellowship, she was the only fatality besides Jacob. She was also the only one completely loyal to him.

Hours later Devon was told that Laine had come out of a successful surgery removing a bullet from her shoulder and repairing the damage as much as possible. She had been able to give most of her story so the authorities understood that none of them were a part of any conspiracy—they had merely gone on a mission to rescue Mercy. After many hours of statements and many dire warnings about taking such measures without the police, Devon was told that everyone had been released. Devon was asked if she’d be willing to go over her statements again, add information if she could, help them to wrap up the entire investigation.

“Yes, but I think you’re going to have to come to Thunder Point with your fancy equipment and try not to disrupt my life too much. I’m the single mother of a child who has been through a lot and if I help you, you’re going to have to help me a little.”

Then Devon called Scott Grant and asked him if he’d come to pick her up and bring her and Mercy home.

Of course he wanted all the details, and he deserved them, but she was tired and almost limp with relief. She gave him the quick version and then told him that when she recovered, she’d tell him the whole story with all the little details. “Right now I just need a day of rest and some time alone with Mercy. Can I have a day off?”

He laughed and told her she could have whatever she wanted. “Spence went with you,” Scott pointed out.

“Yes, because he’s that kind of man. He’s a good friend. A good neighbor. But that doesn’t mean he’s sorted out how he feels about me. And Mercy. That’s a different story.”

There was a football game the next night and Devon didn’t go. She tried pretending she didn’t even know about the game, but she was completely aware and wondered if he looked into the stands, noticing she wasn’t there. And she wondered if it would matter to him.

She invited Rawley to come to her little duplex for Saturday night dinner. After they’d eaten and Mercy was occupied with one of her DVDs, they sat at the kitchen table over coffee and cookies and talked about their adventure. They exchanged information and filled in the blanks.

“The FBI has offered to get me some counseling,” she told Rawley. “I’m thinking about taking them up on that.”

“Might help,” he said. “Now that’s all a memory, you do what’s right for you.”

“And Mercy,” she said.

“I ain’t no expert, but if it’s right for you, it’s prolly right for her.”

“I’ll have to thank Cooper for his help.”

“Aw, I think he had fun, truth be told,” Rawley said.

“And Spencer.”

“That boy’s stronger than he looks,” was all Rawley had to say. “Carried that woman at a jog for darn near two miles.”

“He did,” she said. And right up until he decided he wasn’t ready to be serious, he had carried her a little bit, too.

Devon called Cooper to thank him for his help. It was no small thing, what he’d done. Not only could his life have been in danger, but then he had to suffer through at least twelve hours of questioning before he’d been allowed to go home. But being the kind of guy he was, he just said anyone would’ve stepped up just the same. “And if I hadn’t gone with Rawley, I’d never have heard the end of it.”

Nineteen

Spencer had dropped by the clinic the day after their rescue mission looking for Devon, and Scott had explained that she was relieved to have Mercy home and was exhausted, begging time off from work to try to rest and get her life back. He looked for her at the football game, of course, but was not entirely surprised she wasn’t there.

He wanted to talk to her. Wanted more than talk, but he thought maybe she could use a little time. By the time Sunday rolled around, he could wait no longer. He made sure Austin was in Cooper’s care then went to her house, but she wasn’t there. He called her cell phone, but she didn’t answer. He really didn’t know what to do with himself, so like a smitten high school kid, he sat on her front step, waiting.

“Devon isn’t home,” Mrs. Bledsoe said when she saw him there.

“I know. I have to talk to her. I’ll wait.”

“Or you can walk down to the beach. The sun is out and she took that bag of beach shovels and pails that Mercy likes.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that.”

He’d been to the bar, dropping off Austin, but he hadn’t seen her on the beach. He decided to walk down the street past the marina and across the beach to find her. It was a little chilly although the sun was shining and there were only a few people on the beach. And Devon was on the part of the beach closest to the marina and farthest from the bar.

She must not have wanted him to see her from the bar. It filled him with dread.

She didn’t look up until he was standing beside her. Mercy played in the sand a short distance away and she smiled at him. “Pencer,” she said, and then went back to scooping sand.

Spencer dropped to the sand beside her.

“I’ve been meaning to call you to thank you,” she said. “What you did, it was far and away the bravest thing in the world. Thank you.”