Take - Page 76

I crept up the sagging porch. Colt met my gaze and nodded. Jock was right behind me.

“We’re in position at the back door.” Beau’s voice came through the comms.

“Watch for booby-traps,” I warned. “Auclair is known for setting a few of them. Breach on my mark.” I paused. “Mark.” I kicked in the door and went in low, my weapon up.

The entry was empty. I moved through to the living area, taking in the sparse, worn furniture. There was no one inside.

I spotted a glimmer close to the floor. “Stop.” I raised my closed fist, then I crouched. There was a wire across the door to the kitchen.

“Beau, I have a tripwire.”

“Acknowledged.”

“Jock?” I said.

The former bomb expert moved forward and then followed the wire toward the wall. He peeked into the kitchen and cursed. “C4. Give me a second.” He pulled some tools off his belt.

“We found a tripwire in the back hallway,” Beau said. “Sean is disabling it.”

A minute later, Jock nodded at me, then Sean and Beau appeared in the kitchen.

“Sean and Jock, clear upstairs,” I ordered.

My men disappeared—silent and alert.

Colt, Beau, and I searched the kitchen. I pulled open the cabinet under the sink. There was a trashcan that held food scraps and takeout wrappers.

“They were here.”

“They’re not now,” Beau said. “There’s a garage out back, but it’s empty. There were fresh tire tracks. Several vehicles were here.”

Fucking Auclair. Toying with us.

Sean and Jock returned.

“All clear,” Sean said.

Anger was like a small seed in the center of my chest. It was swelling and growing.

Colt moved past an old wooden table. The chairs were pushed out haphazardly, and I could picture Auclair and his men sitting there, plotting their moves.

“Reath?”

I followed the sound of Colt’s voice. I didn’t like his tone.

In the living room, my brother stood by the fireplace. He jerked his head at the mantelpiece.

I looked up and saw a photo of Frankie propped up there.

It looked like it had been taken from a distance, her face in profile. She was crossing a street.

My mouth flattened. Yes, the asshole was taunting me.

That hard seed exploded, growing bigger. I turned and rammed my fist into the wall. The drywall cracked, leaving a hole.

It didn’t make me feel any better.

“I want him found.” My tone was cutting. “I’ve had enough of this fucking cat-and-mouse game.”