Hunter's Rose (First Draft)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Hunter pov:

We pulled up to the run down house about twenty minutes later. My gaze ran over the area as I shut my bike off.

I paused as I noticed Lisa's car, or what was left of it. My heart thumped a little faster as multiple scenarios ran through my head.

I shook my head to get rid of the images, casting a glance at Jai and Ace. "Jai, you check the outside." He gave a quick nod before heading to the side of the car, his eyes following a trail unseen by most. "I'm gonna scout the house, Ace you check out that barn over there. If you see anything, give two short whistles." I barely saw Ace's nod before I was sprinting.

I glanced around the house, walking silently from window to window. It appeared to be empty. My heart began to race, I pulled my .38 from my pocket as I approached the rickety door. I tried to take a calming breath, reminding myself that Rose could be in here. Acting out of anger could put her life even make at risk.

Using the toe of my boot, I slowly pushed the door open. Wincing slightly as it let out a eery squeak. I crept inside, my gaze moving over the broken down couches across the living room and half empty take out containers littering the table and counters of the open kitchen. 

I moved towards the hallway, pausing at the first door on the left. I held my breath as I listened for any sounds, before opening the door. I wrinkled my nose at the smell that came wafting out, gazing over the clothes on the floor and the rumpled up bedding. I peered in the open closet, pausing as I turned to leave.

The inside of the closet door was covered in pictures of women. My gaze automatically latched onto one of the multiple photos of Rose. She was sitting in a booth, her small hands wrapped around a mug on the table.

I felt my heart skip a beat as I scanned over her features, a cheeky grin was settled on her face, her eyes wide and sparkly. Her hair was pulled pack into a ponytail, a few strands framing her gorgeous face.

My gaze moved past a photo of a random woman, in a similar setting, before landing on another one of Rose. In this one she was standing behind a counter, an elbow perched on top of it, her chin resting against her hand. Her hair braided, pulled over to one side as she gazed at something on the counter below her.

I felt an anger begin to simmer in my stomach as my gaze moved over photo after photo. My gaze stopped on the last photo of Rose, one I assumed had been taken the night she was kidnapped. She was leaning against a brick wall, her face turned up towards the night sky. Her hair fell in waves down her back, against a sparkly back dress that ended just above her knees.

A creak sounded causing me to whip around, my gun aimed at the intruder. Jai cocked his head to the side as he gazed down at my gun.

"I would prefer not to have an extra hole, if you don't mind." I lowered my gun, letting out a harsh breath.

"They followed her, for a while." I couldn't stop the growl that slipped through my voice. He stared at the door of photos for a moment, his brows furrowing.

"I found one." He stated, nodding his head towards the front door. "Looks like someone else beat us to him. He's still breathing, but I'm not sure for how long." We walked out of the room. "I also found a trail leading into the woods. Small tracks, two sets. I'm assuming Rose and Lisa. Two more tracks, a lot bigger, went the same way." Just as he finished, two short whistles sounded.

I came to a halt inside of the barn, my stomach dropping as my gaze moved over the hook hanging from the ceiling. It churned slightly as my gaze dropped to the puddle of blood below it, the puddle that Ace was standing beside.

Jai moved past me, his eyes glancing over every detail. I watched as he bent down, pausing before he stood up and moved to another spot. His head craning up to the hook before glancing back down again.

"This is where he kept her. There are two sets of men's prints, the same as the ones leading into the woods. Lisa must have found her, only one set of small tracks leads in, but two went out." He circled around, his gaze bouncing around. "One man went down, right here. The other man left with the girls." He paused as his gaze met mine. "It's the same tracks that were near that other guy."

"So, he helped them?" I felt my brows furrow in confusion. The worry in my stomach lightening slightly.

"It seems that way." He agreed. "We do have another problem. Someone was obviously hurt." My gaze moved back to the puddle blood on the floor. "My guess, it was your girl."

The fury that spread through my veins quickly turned to worry and desperation as a gun shot sounded from the distance.

My feet quicky carried me out the door and through the tree line. I gave a slight pause when I noticed only Jai beside me, but quicky shook it off and increased my speed.

We were close enough to hear the murmur of their voices when Jai's hand clasped around my arm, jerking me to a stop.

"What the fuck?" I exclaimed, my eyes blazing as they met his calm ones.

"Use your head. You don't know what scene lies on the other side of those trees." My rage simmered as his words sunk in. "If you go barreling through there, things could get real messy real quick." I clenched my teeth as I gave him a short nod.

"You're right." I agreed roughly. "We need a plan." Jai quirked a smile, nodding his head to the trees above us.

I couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped as I glanced up. Ace was perched on a thick branch that hung above us, his eyes scouring the next branch to climb on.

"He's a spider monkey." Jai mused.

"He used to be a sniper." I reminded him. "He had to get creative on ways to get up high."

My body froze as a loud shout came from beyond the trees. I crept forward slightly, peeking through the thick foliage. My stomach dropped at the scene in front of us. Jacob's back was to us, one arm wrapped around Lisa, the other had a gun against the side of her head.

To the right was another man, blood dripped from a cut above his eyebrow as he held his hands up in surrender. His gaze fluttered between the man in front of them, to the his right, concern obvious in his eyes. My gaze followed his, finally finding the person I've been searching for.

My heart skipped as Rose's figure came into view, worry flooding my body as I took her in. She was pale, too pale, her body was slightly hunched over in obvious pain. A pleading look covered her face as she stared at Lisa and Jacob. My gaze moved down her body, my stomach dropping as I noticed a few drops of blood fall from behind her.

I backed away, my gaze meeting Jai's, before glancing up into the trees. Relief flooded me as I finally spotted Ace's form. He was laying against a tree branch, a gun resting against his shoulder.

"I want to go back with you." I could faintly hear Rose's voice. I peeked back through the trees, watching as she took a small step towards them.

My heart thudded painfully as I watched her, before stopping all together as I watched Jacob throw Lisa to the side and point the gun in Rose's direction.