Bull stepped on the gas, and the truck lurched forward. They were on the right track—Gramps could feel it. He dialed Smoke’s number. He knew the other two men had heard Big Red’s report on the car and were right on their tail. As soon as the other man picked up, Gramps spoke.
“Greenfield Airport. It’s a small regional airstrip. If they’re trying to get out of town quickly, that’s the best way. They could’ve hired someone to fly them out under the radar, so to speak,” Gramps said.
“Weather’s crap,” Smoke replied. “Would they still risk it?”
“Fuck yeah,” Gramps said with a nod. “They’re probably grateful for the fog. And I bet they’re gonna make it worth the pilot’s while to look the other way when they bring Cassidy on board.”
“What’s the plan?” Smoke asked.
“Do whatever’s necessary to make sure they don’t take off,” Gramps said succinctly.
“They’re not taking her,” Smoke promised, his voice low and menacing.
“No, they’re not,” Gramps agreed.
“Don’t wait for us if we get separated,” Smoke said. “We’ll be on your six.”
“Got it. Over and out.” Gramps hung up.
He and Bull didn’t speak as they drove way too quickly toward Greenfield. All Gramps could do was repeat over and over in his head, Hang in there, Cass. I’m comin’ for you.
Ten minutes later, Bull pulled into the parking lot of the small airport. There were a few cars parked but no signs of other people. Gramps jumped out of the truck before Bull had even completely stopped. He had his pistol in hand and immediately headed west, toward the nearest hangar.
There were several planes parked under a long shelter, but there were a couple out on the tarmac as well. Gramps guessed the small airport had become inundated with people wanting to take shelter from the weather, and they hadn’t had enough room for everyone to park under cover.
All the small planes gave Lloyd and Martin plenty of places to hide—and to possibly ambush Gramps and his team. The fog swirling around him didn’t help. As he and Bull weighed their options, Eagle and Smoke joined them, appearing as if out of nowhere.
Seconds later, they all made their way silently but steadily toward the parked planes. They needed to figure out which one Lloyd and Martin would use to escape.
Through the fog, Gramps saw a brown four-door Crown Victoria. It was parked haphazardly near the sheltered planes, out of sight of the parking lot. Moving cautiously, Gramps approached the vehicle. He tamped down his frustration at finding it empty.
When he continued around the back of the car, he stopped.
A body was lying on the pavement. Faceup. Not moving.
For a heartbeat, Gramps thought it was Cassidy. But just as the idea went through his brain, he realized the body was too big. He approached carefully, and now that he was closer, he could see it was Martin. He had a single gunshot wound to the chest and blood pooling around his body. Not wasting time to check for a pulse, Gramps kept moving.
His teammates had fanned out around him, checking each of the planes to make sure they weren’t occupied. A light rain began to fall, and that combined with the thick fog made for an eerie atmosphere.
Gramps heard voices coming from the opposite end of the row of planes.
Immediately turning toward the direction of the sound, Gramps was on the move without even thinking, but suddenly Bull was there, grabbing his arm, halting his progress.
“Easy, man,” Bull said quietly.
Gramps’s first impulse was to jerk away from his friend and tell him to go to hell, but he knew Bull was right. He couldn’t act without thinking, even if he was terrified for Cassidy. The bullet that had taken out Martin could’ve just as easily ended her life. If he came this close, only to fail her now, he’d never forgive himself.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gramps saw Smoke and Eagle come up on his right. They had a quick discussion before Bull and Smoke disappeared to circle wide so they’d have Lloyd surrounded.
Creeping forward, Gramps and Eagle made their way in the direction of the voices. At first Gramps thought they might be coming from inside a nearby hangar, but when he heard a scream—Cassidy’s scream—he changed direction again.
She was headed toward one of the planes on the tarmac.
Breaking into a jog, Gramps was one hundred percent focused on the two figures he could now see several yards ahead of him. He didn’t have a good shot because of the fog, but it didn’t matter. Lloyd was going to die for putting his hands on Cassidy and scaring Mario. He’d decided that the second he’d learned the man had come for her.
The sound of a plane engine revving made his determination even stronger. No way had he gotten this close to rescuing Cassidy only to let her slip through his fingers.
The last thing Gramps wanted to do was startle Lloyd. Especially when he had a weapon and obviously wasn’t afraid to use it. The fog now worked in their favor as they stalked their prey. They weren’t wearing headsets, so they couldn’t communicate, but they’d been in deadly situations plenty of times in the past. They knew what had to be done.
Moving silently, he inched closer to Lloyd and Cassidy. They had to get close enough to put a bullet in Lloyd’s head without harming his hostage.
Gramps’s focus narrowed. This was ending. Now. He was close enough to see the terror on Cassidy’s face as she frantically scanned the tarmac—and shockingly, her gaze found him.
He hated that she was scared, but he wasn’t going to lose her.
He raised his pistol, taking a deep breath even as he aimed.
Which was exactly when Lloyd glanced over his shoulder, spotting Gramps near the wing of a parked plane.
He immediately raised his weapon, but instead of pointing it at Gramps, he smirked and turned it toward Cassidy.
A loud gunshot sounded, echoing through the nearby hangar and over the flat prairie that surrounded the small airport.
For a moment, Gramps froze—until Lloyd fell to the ground with a thud.
Cassidy stood there for a heartbeat, stunned, then she was running toward Gramps.
Through the fog behind Lloyd, Gramps barely saw Smoke lowering his weapon. He’d taken the shot. Succeeded in preventing Lloyd from killing Cassidy.
Gramps had just enough time to holster his weapon before Cassidy flung herself at him. He held her just as tightly as she was clinging to him. He’d come way too close to losing her. Neither said a word for a long moment as they just stood there, shaking in each other’s embrace.
Finally, Gramps pulled back just enough so he could see her face. “Are you hurt?”
“Yeah.”
Gramps’s heart stopped. Had Lloyd managed to shoot her? “Where?” he asked harshly.
“My face,” Cassidy said. “Where he hit me. And my arm is killing me. He liked to hold on too tight as he dragged me around.”
It took a second for her words to register. “But you weren’t shot?” he asked urgently.
“I don’t think so. Was I?” she asked, clearly still in shock, her big hazel eyes staring up at him in pain and fear.
“Fuck,” Gramps muttered before pulling Cassidy back into him. He held her way too tightly again, but he couldn’t seem to let go. By some miracle, she was all right. Was safe in his arms. He’d found her in time.