Chapter 1
The alarm screamed at 6:45am, and the frat house erupted in groans and movement.
"Alright, alright, Jesus Christ," Jake muttered, slapping the clock on the nightstand between the two bunk beds. He swung his legs over the side of the top bunk, nearly kicking Celeb in the head as his buddy sat up on the bottom.
"Watch it, asshole," Celeb said, rubbing his eyes.
On the other side of the cramped room, Colt was already rolling off his mattress in the center of the floor, stretching his arms overhead. "Y'all move like old men," he said, his Baton Rouge drawl thick in the morning air.
"Fuck off, Louisiana," Jake shot back, but he was grinning as he dropped down from his bunk.
The room was tight—two bunk beds against opposite walls, Colt's mattress in the middle, barely enough space to walk between them. Clothes hung from hooks on the walls, boots lined up by the door, and if you knew where to look, there was a loose floorboard near the window where Pops stashed beer for them when he thought no one was watching.
Billy Benson, the youngest at twenty-one, cracked one eye open from the bottom bunk across from Celeb. His brother Jake was already pulling on his jeans. "What time is it?"
"Time to get your lazy ass up," Jake said.
"Nah." Billy closed his eye again. "I'm good."
On the top bunk above him, Billy Jr. didn't even stir.
"Burning daylight, boys," Celeb said, yanking a t-shirt over his head. "Fence line ain't gonna fix itself."
"Y'all have fun with that," Billy mumbled into his pillow.
Colt laughed, lacing up his boots. "Lazy shits. Both of 'em."
"Junior!" Jake called up to his nephew. "You gonna let these two show you up?"
A muffled "Fuck off, Uncle Jake" came from under the covers.
Jake, Celeb, and Colt were moving around the room now, the floorboards creaking, the whole space alive with morning chaos. Jake grabbed his hat off a hook. Celeb was looking for his other boot. Colt was already at the door.
Then Pops appeared in the doorway, cigar clenched between his teeth, smoke curling up past his weathered face. He had a shot glass in one hand, empty now, and his eyes were sharp despite the early hour.
"What the hell is this?" he barked, pointing the cigar at the two Billys still in their bunks. "You think this is a goddamn hotel? Get your asses up!"
"We're getting up, Pops," Billy said, not moving.
"Like hell you are. You're laying there like a couple of dead fish." He took the cigar out of his mouth and jabbed it toward them. "Seventy-six years old and I'm up before you little shits. Vietnam didn't teach me to sleep in, I'll tell you that."
"Love you too, Pops," Billy Jr. called down.
"Don't you 'love you' me, boy. Move it!"
Jake, Celeb, and Colt were laughing as they filed past Pops into the hallway. The old man shook his head, muttering something about "soft generation" and "waste of daylight" as he shuffled back toward his room.
The door closed. Silence settled over the frat house.
Billy waited a beat, then sat up. "You awake up there?"
"Yeah," Junior said.
"Wanna sleep another hour?"
"Hell yeah."
They did.
By seven, the house was empty and quiet when Billy and Billy Jr. finally made it downstairs. The kitchen smelled like coffee and something sweet—Sarah's doing, no doubt. Sure enough, there was a pot of coffee on the counter, still hot, and a plate of six breakfast rolls covered with a dish towel. A note sat beside it in Sarah's neat handwriting:
For the lazy heads. Have coffee. I'm off to town with Rebecca. Everybody else is out on the ranch. Don't forget your radios! Mom and Mom!
Junior laughed, picking up the note. "Too many moms, man."
"Better than not enough," Billy said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He grabbed two rolls and tossed one to his nephew.
Junior caught it, took a bite, and wandered over to the window where the outdoor weather station was mounted. He squinted at the digital display. "Uncle Billy, look at this."
Billy came over, coffee in hand. The temperature read 98 degrees.
"Fuck, it's 98 already," Billy said. "Gonna be a scorcher."
"Fence line's gonna suck."
"Yep." Billy drained half his coffee in one go. "Might as well leave the shirts here."
"Way ahead of you," Junior said. He was already in just his jeans and boots.
Billy pulled his shirt off, tossed it on the back of a chair, and grabbed his radio from the charging station by the door. Junior did the same. They clipped them to their belts, grabbed their hats, and headed out the back door into the wall of heat.
The mule quad was parked by the barn. Junior climbed into the driver's seat, and Billy swung into the passenger side. The engine turned over with a rough cough, and they rolled out onto the dirt road that cut north through the ranch.
The drive took about twenty minutes, three miles of open country under a sky so blue it hurt to look at. The land stretched out in every direction—scrub brush, mesquite, the occasional cluster of live oaks. The heat shimmered off the ground in waves, and even with the wind from the mule's movement, sweat was already running down Billy's back.
"Think Jake and them are done yet?" Junior asked, steering around a rut in the road.
"Knowing Jake? He's probably standing around talking shit while Celeb does all the work."
Junior grinned. "And Louisiana?"
"Louisiana's probably already finished his section and started on someone else's just to show off."
They both laughed. The kid was seventeen and worked like he had something to prove. Which, Billy figured, he probably did. Celeb's cousin from Baton Rouge, spending the summer on a Texas ranch—yeah, he had something to prove.
The northern fence line came into view, a long stretch of barbed wire and cedar posts that marked the edge of the Benson property. Billy could see where the wire had come loose in a few places, posts leaning, the whole thing needing attention.
Junior pulled the mule to a stop, and they climbed out. The heat hit them like a physical thing, pressing down from above, radiating up from the ground.
"Alright," Billy said, grabbing the toolbox from the back. "Let's get this done before we melt."
They worked in a rhythm they'd built over years—Billy setting the posts, Junior running the wire, both of them moving with the kind of efficiency that came from growing up on a ranch. The sun climbed higher. Sweat poured. They didn't talk much, just worked, the only sounds the clink of tools and the occasional curse when something didn't line up right.
By ten-thirty, they'd made good progress. Billy straightened up, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, and took a long drink from the water jug they'd brought.
"Not bad for the lazy ones," Junior said, grinning.
"Don't let Jake hear you say that. He'll never let us live it down."
Junior laughed, reaching for the water. That's when Billy saw it.
A truck in the distance, coming up the road from the east. Not the main road—the old access road that hardly anyone used anymore.
Billy squinted, watching it approach. Something felt off.
"You expecting anyone?" Junior asked, following his gaze.
"No," Billy said slowly. "You?"
"Nope."
The truck kept coming, kicking up dust, moving faster than it should on that rough road. Billy's hand drifted to the radio on his belt, but he didn't key it yet. Could be nothing. Could be a neighbor. Could be—
The truck was close enough now that he could see it wasn't one of theirs. Wrong color. Wrong make.
"Billy," Junior said, and there was something in his voice that made Billy's stomach tighten.
"Yeah," Billy said. "I see it."
The truck wasn't slowing down.
Chapter 2
The truck skidded to a stop fifteen feet away, dust billowing around them in a choking cloud. Billy's hand went for the radio, but the doors were already flying open.
Three men piled out—two from the cab, one from the bed. Dirty jeans, stained shirts, the smell of beer and sweat hitting Billy before they even got close. The driver had a beer can in one hand, crushed it, and tossed it aside.
"The hell—" Billy started.
The biggest one, maybe six-two with a gut hanging over his belt, rushed him. Billy got his hands up but the guy was already on him, tackling him sideways into the dirt. The radio flew from his belt, landing in the dust near the fence line.
"Uncle Billy!" Junior moved toward him but the other two were faster. One grabbed Junior's arm, yanked it behind his back. Junior twisted, threw an elbow that connected with something—a grunt, a curse—but then the third guy had his other arm. His radio clattered to the ground as they wrestled him down.
Billy bucked hard, got a knee up into the big guy's ribs. The man wheezed but didn't let go, just pressed down harder, grinding Billy's face into the dirt.
"Hold still, you rich son of a bitch!"
"Get off me!" Billy thrashed, tasted dust and blood. His shoulder screamed as the guy wrenched his arm back.
Junior was still fighting, kicking backward, but they had him now—both arms pinned, forcing him down to his knees. "What the fuck do you want?"
"Shut up!" One of them—skinny, missing teeth—slapped Junior across the back of the head. "You're gonna make us some money, boy."
Billy tried to roll, got halfway before a boot caught him in the ribs. The air left his lungs in a rush. Another set of hands grabbed his wrists, yanked them behind his back.
"Got rope?" the big one called out.
"In the truck. Hold him."
Billy's chest heaved against the ground. He could see Junior ten feet away, face pressed into the dirt, two men holding him down. Their eyes met for a second—Junior's wide, angry, scared.
"It's okay," Billy tried to say, but his voice came out wrong.
The skinny one came back with a coil of rope, tossed it to the big guy. "Do him first."
Rough hands grabbed Billy's left arm, then his right, forced them together behind his back. The rope bit into his biceps first, wrapped tight, once, twice, three times. Billy grunted, tried to pull away, but the big guy had a knee in his spine.
"Stay still or I'll make it tighter."
The rope moved down to his elbows, cinching them together until his shoulders burned. Billy's hands flexed uselessly. Another wrap at his wrists, pulled so tight he felt the circulation slow.
"Jesus—that's too tight," Billy growled.
"That's the point, genius." The big guy tied it off, tested it with a yank that made Billy's shoulders scream. "Ain't going nowhere now."
They moved to Junior. Billy twisted his head, watched them force his nephew's arms back. Junior was still cursing, still fighting even on his knees, but it didn't matter. The rope went around his biceps, his elbows, his wrists—same methodical binding, same tight knots.
"What do you want?" Junior's voice was strained, angry. "Money? We don't have—"
"Your daddy does." The skinny one grinned, showing those missing teeth. "Rich ranchers always got money. We're just gonna borrow some."
"You're fucking idiots," Billy said. "You know that? They're gonna find you."
The big guy kicked him in the side again, not hard enough to break anything but hard enough to shut him up. "Maybe. But we'll be long gone by then."
The skinny one went back to the truck, returned with a roll of duct tape. "Can't have 'em yelling for help."
"No—" Billy started, but the big guy grabbed his hair, yanked his head back.
The tape pressed across his mouth, sticky and tight. The skinny one wrapped it around his head once, twice, three times, sealing his mouth completely. Billy's breath came hard and fast through his nose, his jaw clenched uselessly behind the tape.
"Your turn, boy." They grabbed Junior's head.
"Don't—" Junior tried to twist away, but they had him. The tape went across his mouth, wrapped around and around his head until he couldn't make a sound except muffled grunts through his nose. His eyes blazed with fury.
The skinny one patted down Junior's pockets, found his phone. Held it up like a trophy. "Look at this. Fancy shit." He pocketed the phone, then tossed the roll of duct tape aside. It landed in the dirt near the fence, next to the scattered rope they'd been using for repairs and the two radios lying in the dust.
They hauled Billy to his feet, arms bound tight behind him, mouth sealed with tape. The sun beat down on his bare shoulders, sweat already running down his back. Junior was pulled up next to him, face red, jaw working uselessly behind the tape.
"Move." The big guy shoved Billy toward the truck.
They stumbled forward, no way to catch themselves if they fell, no way to call for help. Billy's boots scraped in the dirt. The heat was oppressive, the rope already chafing his skin raw.
At the truck, the skinny one dropped the tailgate. "Get in."
Junior made a muffled sound of protest behind his gag.
The third guy—quiet until now, shorter but solid—grabbed Junior by the back of his neck and shoved him forward. Junior went down hard on his knees at the edge of the tailgate, couldn't catch himself with his arms bound. Billy lunged toward him but the big guy caught him, wrapped an arm around his throat.
"Easy now."
They lifted Junior, threw him into the truck bed like a sack of feed. He landed on his side with a grunt, muffled by the tape. Billy was next—hands grabbed him, lifted, tossed. He hit the metal bed hard, shoulder first, rolled onto his back.
The tailgate slammed shut. The engine roared to life.
Billy tried to call out, but only muffled sounds came through the tape wrapped around his head. Nobody would hear them now.
The truck lurched forward, turned, headed back the way it came. Billy and Junior slid across the bed, no way to brace themselves. The sun hammered down, the metal bed already hot enough to burn.
Billy caught Junior's eyes, tried to communicate something—reassurance, a plan, anything. Junior stared back, breathing hard through his nose, tape wrapped tight around his head.
The truck bounced over ruts, each jolt sending fresh pain through Billy's shoulders. The rope was cutting in now, real and deep. He could feel the burn starting, the way his hands were already going numb.
Junior was on his side, trying to see over the edge of the bed. His muffled grunts suggested frustration—couldn't tell where they were going. East, maybe?
Billy tested the ropes again, pulled hard. Nothing. Whoever these idiots were, they knew how to tie knots. His wrists were locked tight to his elbows, his elbows pulled together behind him. No give at all.
The truck turned onto pavement, picked up speed. Then gravel again. Then dirt. Billy lost track after a while, just focused on breathing through his nose, through the pain, the heat, the growing certainty that they were getting farther from the ranch with every minute.
Finally, the truck slowed. Turned. Stopped.
Billy lifted his head. They were at a barn—old, weathered gray, surrounded by nothing but scrub and empty land. No other buildings in sight. No road noise. Just wind and heat and isolation.
The doors opened. Boots on gravel.
"End of the line, boys."
They were dragged out of the truck bed, dropped onto their feet. Billy's legs nearly gave out—his shoulders were on fire, his hands completely numb now. Junior stumbled beside him, caught himself.
The barn door scraped open. Inside it was dim, hot, smelled like old hay and rot. Dust hung in the air, visible in the shafts of light coming through gaps in the walls.
"On the ground. Bellies down."
Billy made a muffled sound of refusal behind his gag.
The big guy punched him in the kidney. Billy's knees buckled. They forced him down, face-first into the dirt floor. Junior hit the ground beside him, muffled curses barely audible through his tape gag.
More rope. Billy felt it wrap around his ankles, then pull—his boots yanked backward, up toward his bound wrists. The strain hit his back immediately, his shoulders screaming as they forced his body into an arch.
His wrists met his boots. The rope cinched them together, hogtied, his body bent backward in a way that made every muscle burn. He couldn't straighten out, couldn't relieve the pressure. Just locked there, face in the dirt, arms and legs pulled together behind him.
Junior was getting the same treatment, his voice tight with pain behind the gag as they tied him, muffled protests going ignored.
They stepped back, admiring their work.
"Look at that," the skinny one said. "Couple of rich boys all trussed up."
The quiet one pulled out a phone, held it up. "Boss wants proof."
The flash went off. Then again. Billy stared at the camera, let every ounce of rage show in his eyes. Beside him, Junior was doing the same—face red, sweating, tape wrapped around his head, body arched backward in the hogtie.
"Perfect." The guy checked the photos, nodded. "That'll do."
"How much we asking?" the big guy said.
"Twenty-five grand. Each."
"Fifty total? Shit, that's easy money."
They laughed, cracked open fresh beers. The skinny one took a long drink, wiped his mouth. "Daddy's gonna pay up quick. Nobody wants their boys back like this."
"How long we keep 'em?"
"However long it takes. Few hours, maybe. Day at most."
They headed for the door, still laughing, still drinking. The big guy looked back one more time.
"Y'all just sit tight now. This'll all be over soon."
The door scraped shut. A lock clicked.
Silence settled over the barn, broken only by the sound of their breathing—harsh and fast through their noses. Billy lay there in the dirt, hogtied, gagged, every muscle screaming. The heat was suffocating. Sweat ran into his eyes.
He turned his head, found Junior's eyes. His nephew stared back, furious and helpless.
They were alone now. Bound, gagged, locked in a barn in the middle of nowhere.
And nobody knew where they were.
Chapter 3
Jake wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and tossed another section of pipe into the truck bed. The sun was straight overhead now, beating down hard. His shirt was soaked through.
"That's the last of it," Celeb said, dusting off his hands. "We're making good time."
"Yeah, well, we're also starving." Jake grabbed his radio, keyed it. "Billy, you copy? It's lunchtime, brother. Tell me you and Junior didn't eat all the good stuff Sarah packed."
Static.
Jake waited, then grinned. "Come on, lazy ass. I know you're hearing this. You probably slept till nine and now you're taking a siesta out there."
Nothing.
Celeb leaned against the truck, pulled out his water bottle. "Maybe they're in a dead spot."
"Northern fence line? Nah, we get signal out there." Jake keyed the radio again. "Billy. Junior. One of you pick up. I'm not driving all the way back to the house if you already ate our sandwiches."
Static hissed back at them.
Jake's grin faded. He looked at the radio, then at Celeb. "The hell?"
"Try again."
Jake pressed the button, his tone sharper now. "Billy. This is Jake. You copy?" He waited five seconds. "Junior, you there?"
Silence.
"That's weird," Celeb said quietly.
"Yeah." Jake's jaw tightened. He tried again, the irritation creeping into his voice. "Billy, if you're screwing with me right now, I swear to God—"
Nothing.
Jake lowered the radio, stared at it. His brother always answered. Always. Even if it was just to talk shit back at him.
"Maybe their batteries died?" Celeb offered.
"Both of them?" Jake shook his head. "Everyone carries radios out here. They should have them."
Celeb straightened up, his expression shifting. "So where are they?"
Jake keyed the radio one more time. "Billy. Junior. If you can hear this, respond. Now." His voice had lost all the banter. It was flat, serious.
Ten seconds of static.
"Shit." Jake clipped the radio back on his belt, looked north toward the fence line. That bad feeling was settling in his gut now, the kind that made his shoulders tense up.
"What do you want to do?" Celeb asked.
"We're going out there."
"You sure? Could be nothing. Could be—"
"Could be something." Jake was already moving toward the driver's side. "They're not answering. That's not like them. We check it out."
Celeb didn't argue. He climbed into the passenger seat, and Jake fired up the engine.
The drive felt longer than it should have. Jake's hands gripped the wheel tight, his eyes scanning the horizon. He kept the radio on, kept listening for Billy's voice to crackle through and tell him he was being paranoid.
It didn't come.
"There," Celeb said, pointing.
Jake saw it—the mule quad, sitting alone in the middle of the open ground near the fence line. No movement around it. No sign of Billy or Junior.
"The hell are they?" Jake muttered. He pressed the gas harder.
As they got closer, the wrongness of it became clearer. The quad was just sitting there, abandoned. The fence tools were scattered nearby. No one in sight.
Jake slammed the truck into park and jumped out before it fully stopped. "Billy!"
His voice echoed across the empty land.
Nothing.
Celeb was out too, moving toward the quad. "Jake."
Jake jogged over. The quad's engine was cold. He touched the seat—no warmth. It had been sitting here a while.
Then he saw them.
Two radios, lying in the dirt a few feet apart.
Jake's stomach dropped. He crouched down, picked one up. Billy's. The clip was broken, like it had been ripped off.
"Jake." Celeb's voice was tight.
Jake looked up. Celeb was standing a few feet away, staring at the ground. Jake walked over.
A roll of duct tape, half-buried in the dirt. A coil of hemp rope lying next to it.
Jake's blood went cold.
"Jesus," Celeb breathed.
Jake scanned the area. The dirt was disturbed—boot prints everywhere, overlapping, chaotic. Tire tracks cutting through the dust, wide and deep. A vehicle had been here. A big one.
"They were taken," Jake said. His voice sounded distant, like it wasn't his own.
Celeb didn't respond. He was staring at the rope.
Jake stood there, his mind racing. Billy and Junior. Gone. Radios in the dirt. Duct tape. Rope. Tire tracks leading away.
"Shit. Shit." Jake's hands curled into fists. He turned in a circle, looking for something, anything. But there was nothing. Just the empty land and the evidence of what had happened.
Celeb's face had gone pale. "Jake, we need to—"
"I know." Jake grabbed his radio, his hands shaking now. He found the 911 button on the side, pressed it hard.
The radio beeped once. Then a mechanical voice cut through the static, broadcasting over the consortium emergency frequency.
"911JakeB. 911JakeB. 911JakeB."
Jake waited for the automated alert to finish, then keyed the voice channel. His voice came out steady, urgent, every word clear.
"This is Jake Benson. Billy and Junior are missing. Found their mule quad abandoned at the northern fence line. Both radios here, duct tape, rope. Signs of struggle. Tire tracks heading east. I need everyone at the ranch house. Now."
He released the button. Static hissed back.
Then the responses started coming in.
"Jake, this is Wade." The sheriff's voice was calm but sharp. "Copy that. Secure the scene. Don't touch anything else. My boys and I are en route. ETA fifteen minutes."
"Copy, Wade." Jake's throat was tight.
"Dad, this is Wilson. We're rolling." One of Wade's sons, his voice clipped, professional.
Then Josh's voice broke through, raw and shaking. "Jake—Junior—where's my son? Where is he?"
"Josh, I don't know. We're at the scene now. They're gone."
A woman's voice cut in, high and panicked. "Jake, this is Rebecca. We just heard—Junior—oh God, Junior—" Her voice cracked. "We're coming back right now. We're in town, we're leaving—"
"Rebecca, I—" Jake started.
"Sarah here." Billy's mother's voice was steadier but strained, fighting to stay controlled. "Jake, is Billy—did you see any sign of them? Any blood?"
"No blood, Sarah. But they're gone. Someone took them."
A sharp intake of breath over the radio. Then Sarah's voice again, harder now. "We're on our way. Five minutes."
"Tom Benson, I'm heading in from the south pasture. Ten minutes out." Billy's father. His voice was hard, controlled, but Jake could hear the fear underneath.
"Billy Renzo here." The sixteen-year-old's voice was tight, shocked. "Jake, we're monitoring—we saw the alert. Is the mule quad still transmitting? We might be able to pull telemetry data."
"Ryan Mattern, copy that. We're heading to the ranch house now, setting up command center."
"Daniel Rodriguez, same. We'll pull everything—GPS logs, radio timestamps."
"Colt here." The seventeen-year-old's voice was steadier than the others. "We built this system. We'll find them. Heading in now."
"Ray here. Leaving the bank now. On my way." The business manager, steady but urgent.
"Jake, it's Robert. I'm coming in from town. Twenty minutes."
"Renzo. I'm at the feed store. Heading to you now."
The radio crackled with overlapping acknowledgments, voices layering over each other for a moment before falling silent again.
Jake stood there, staring at the radios in the dirt, the rope, the tracks disappearing into the distance. Celeb was beside him, quiet, his face pale.
His brother was gone. His nephew was gone.
And whoever took them had a head start.
Chapter 4
The first vehicle to reach the ranch house was Sarah's SUV, gravel spraying as she hit the brakes too hard. Rebecca was in the passenger seat, both women clutching grocery bags that had been destined for tonight's dinner. The bags hit the ground the moment Jake's voice crackled over the radio again.
"They're gone. Someone took them."
Sarah's hand went to her mouth. Rebecca just stood there, frozen, a can of tomatoes rolling across the driveway.
"No," Sarah whispered. "No, no, no."
By the time Pops and Tom came rumbling up from the southern barn in the old Ford, three more trucks were pulling in—the Beaumonts, then the Renzos, then Ray's sedan from the bank, still wearing his tie. The driveway filled fast. Doors slamming. Voices overlapping.
"What happened?"
"Where are they?"
"Jake said—"
Inside, the living room became controlled chaos. Sarah paced, arms wrapped around herself. Rebecca sat on the couch, hands pressed to her face. Josh stood by the window, jaw clenched so tight it looked like his teeth might crack. He was Jr.'s father, and right now he looked like a man barely holding himself together.
Pops came through the door like a storm, cigar clenched between his teeth. "Somebody better start talking. Where the hell is my great-grandson?"
"We don't know yet," Tom said, voice tight. "Jake and Celeb are still at the scene. Wade's on his way."
"Good," Pops said. "We need him here."
The Matterns arrived next, then the Rodriguezes. Robert Beaumont came through the door with his wife Linda, both of them pale. The room filled with bodies, with worry, with barely contained fear and fury.
Sarah finally stopped pacing. "They were just fixing fence. They were just—" Her voice broke.
Rebecca reached up, grabbed her hand. Neither woman said anything else.
Sheriff Wade Nelson pulled up to the northern fence line twenty minutes after Jake's call, his department SUV kicking up dust. His sons Wilson and Ryan were with him, both deputies, both trained. Wade stepped out, adjusted his hat, and walked the scene like he'd walked a hundred others.
Professional. Methodical.
Jake and Celeb stood back, letting him work.
Wade crouched by the mule quad first, touched the hood. "Still warm, but cooling. They've been gone at least an hour, maybe more." He moved to the radios in the dirt, didn't touch them yet. Then the duct tape roll. The coil of hemp rope.
"Tire tracks," Wilson said, pointing east.
Wade nodded, pulled out his phone, started taking photos. "Jake, walk me through it."
Jake did. The radio silence. The drive up. Finding the scene.
Wade listened, asked questions, kept shooting photos. He bagged the duct tape and rope, handed them to Ryan. "Evidence. Might get prints, might not, but we'll try."
"You calling it in?" Jake asked.
Wade looked at him. "I'm documenting it. But this is consortium business, Jake. You know that."
"Yeah." Jake's jaw worked. "I know."
Wade studied the tire tracks, crouched low, followed them with his eyes. "Heading east. Toward the county road, probably. After that..." He stood, dusted off his hands. "After that, they could be anywhere."
"So what do we do?"
"We go back to the house," Wade said. "And we figure this out."
The command center was on the second floor, next to the frat house, a room that used to be storage until the wiz kids turned it into mission control. Now it was wall-to-wall monitors, servers humming, keyboards clattering.
Billy Renzo sat at one terminal, fingers flying. Ryan Mattern was at another, pulling up GPS logs. Daniel Rodriguez had a laptop open, scanning satellite imagery. Colt stood behind them, arms crossed, watching.
"Anything?" Colt asked.
"Mule quad's got GPS," Billy said. "But it's stationary. Just tells us where they were, not where they are now."
"Radio timestamps show they went silent at 9:47," Ryan added. "That's our window."
"Pulling up satellite feeds now," Daniel said, his screen filling with overhead imagery. "We've got access to commercial satellite data—part of the new system. Let me rewind to 9:47 and see if we can track vehicle movement in that area."
"How's the resolution?" Colt asked.
"Good enough to see vehicles, not good enough for plates," Daniel muttered, scrubbing through the timeline. "There—got a truck heading east from the northern fence around 10:05. Could be them."
"Can you follow it?" Billy asked.
"Trying. Satellite pass only covers so much before we lose the angle." Daniel's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Lost visual at the county road. Next pass isn't for another forty minutes."
"Drones?" Colt suggested.
"We've got two with thermal imaging," Billy said. "But we don't know where to fly them. Could be anywhere in a fifty-mile radius by now."
"What about traffic cams? Cell tower pings?" Ryan asked.
"We're not law enforcement," Daniel said. "We don't have access to that."
Frustration hung thick in the room. They'd built this whole system—radios, GPS, tracking, satellite feeds, coordination. But it all depended on people carrying their devices. Without Billy and Jr.'s radios, they were blind.
"There's gotta be something," Ryan said.
Downstairs, the adults waited. Pacing. Sitting. Staring at nothing.
Josh's phone buzzed.
He pulled it out, glanced at the screen. Frowned.
"It's from Jr.'s number."
The room went silent.
Josh opened the message. Read it. His face went white, then red.
"They want twenty-five thousand dollars."
"What?" Tom moved closer.
Josh turned the phone. The text was short:
$25,000. Cash. Instructions to follow. Don't involve police.
"There's a photo," Josh said, voice hollow.
He opened it.
The room crowded in. Then everyone went still.
Billy and Billy Jr., shirtless, on their bellies in what looked like a barn. Their arms were tied behind them—biceps, elbows, wrists, all bound tight with rope. Their wrists were hogtied back to their work boots, bodies arched. Duct tape wrapped around their heads, gagging them. Their faces were sweaty, flushed, eyes blazing with fury.
Rebecca made a sound—half gasp, half sob. Sarah's hand flew to her mouth.
Josh stared at the photo of his son, trussed up like an animal, and something in his expression went cold and hard.
"I'm gonna kill them," he said quietly.
"Get in line," Pops growled.
Jake looked at the photo, then started laughing.
Everyone turned.
"Jake—" Tom started.
"Twenty-five thousand?" Jake shook his head, still laughing, but there was no humor in it. "Are you fucking kidding me? We just spent fifty grand on tech equipment alone. These idiots kidnapped two guys from a consortium worth millions and they're asking for twenty-five thousand?"
"They're not exactly criminal masterminds," Wade said dryly.
"And they used Jr.'s phone," Jake added. "They used his actual phone to send the ransom demand."
Wade's eyes sharpened. "Location services."
Billy Renzo's voice came from the stairs. "What?"
"Jr.'s phone," Wade said. "If they're using it—"
"Location services," Billy repeated, already moving. "If it's enabled—"
"It is," Josh said. "I set up his phone. It's enabled."
The wiz kids were already running back upstairs, feet pounding. Keyboards clattered. Voices overlapped.
"Pulling it up now—"
"Got access to the account—"
"Come on, come on—"
"There!"
Billy Renzo's voice carried down the stairs. "We've got a location!"
The energy in the room shifted. The helpless fear, the waiting, the frustration—it all crystallized into something else.
Focus. Purpose. Rage.
Wade was already moving toward the door. "I'll coordinate tactical. We do this smart."
Pops nodded. "Let's bring them home."
"Armory," Jake said, looking at Tom, at Josh, at Robert, at Renzo. "Now."
The men headed for the back of the house where the gun safes were. The mothers stayed in the living room, holding each other. Pops and Wade exchanged a look—grandfather and great-grandfather united—before Wade headed out to his vehicle and Pops turned to coordinate with Tom.
Upstairs, the wiz kids were pulling coordinates, mapping routes, calculating drive times.
They weren't victims anymore.
They were hunters.
And someone was about to learn what it meant to mess with the consortium.
Chapter 5
The armory was in the back corner of the ranch house, what used to be a storage room before Tom Benson converted it fifteen years ago. Two full-size gun safes stood against the wall, and a third cabinet held ammunition, cleaning supplies, and tactical gear. The room smelled like gun oil and leather.
Pops got there first, already spinning the combination on the larger safe. The door swung open to reveal two dozen rifles and shotguns mounted in neat rows. He reached for a Remington 700, the same model he'd carried in Vietnam, and worked the bolt with practiced ease.
"Still smooth," he muttered around his cigar.
Tom pulled out his hunting rifle, a Winchester Model 70, and checked the chamber. Josh was right behind him, grabbing a Mossberg 500 shotgun, his hands moving automatically through the safety check even though his eyes were somewhere else entirely.
"Josh." Wade's voice was quiet but firm. "You with me?"
Josh looked up at his father-in-law. "I'm getting my son back."
"I know. But I need you focused, not reckless."
"I'm focused."
Wade studied him for a moment, then nodded. He reached past Josh for a tactical shotgun, then pulled his service pistol from his hip holster and checked the magazine. Wilson and Ryan, already in their deputy uniforms, were doing the same.
Jake pushed into the room, his jaw set. "Where's the—"
"Second safe," Tom said. "Code's your birthday."
Jake punched in the numbers and yanked the door open. He grabbed a Ruger AR-556 and three magazines, loading them with sharp, angry movements. "Those sons of bitches picked the wrong family."
"Easy," Robert Beaumont said from the doorway. The oil executive moved into the room with the calm of a man who'd spent plenty of time at the range. He selected a bolt-action rifle and a box of ammunition. "We do this smart, we all go home."
"Damn right," Mr. Renzo said, stepping in behind him. The consortium partner was in his sixties, still broad-shouldered and solid. He took a lever-action Marlin from the safe. "My son and Billy are counting on us not to fuck this up."
Mr. Mattern and Mr. Rodriguez filed in, both reaching for their preferred weapons. The room was getting crowded, but nobody was getting in anyone's way. They'd all been shooting together for years—hunting trips, range days, the occasional wild hog problem. They knew each other's rhythms.
Celeb squeezed in last, his usual easy smile replaced with something harder. "Got room for one more?"
"You know how to use that?" Pops asked, nodding at the rifle Celeb was reaching for.
"Grew up in Louisiana, sir. Been shootin' since I was eight." The Cajun lilt in his voice was more pronounced now, stress bringing it out.
Pops grunted approval. "You Louisiana boys know your way around a rifle, I'll give you that."
The sound of bolts working, magazines clicking, shells sliding into chambers filled the room. It was almost rhythmic. Purposeful. Each man checking his weapon, making sure everything functioned, that safeties worked, that sights were true.
"Remember," Wade said, his sheriff's voice cutting through the noise, "we're doing this by the book as much as we can. We locate them, we assess, we move in coordinated. I want those boys back safe, and I want the bastards who took them in custody."
"And if they resist?" Jake asked.
Wade's expression didn't change. "Then we handle it."
Tom loaded his pockets with extra ammunition. "How long since you've been in the field, Pops?"
The old man chambered a round and smiled around his cigar. "Like riding a bike, son. Some things you don't forget."
"Vietnam was fifty years ago."
"And I'm still breathing. That tells you something."
Despite everything, a few of the men smiled.
Josh hadn't said anything else. He was loading shells into his shotgun with mechanical precision, his face set like stone. Jake moved next to him, bumped his shoulder.
"We're getting them back."
Josh nodded once. "Yeah."
"Both of them. Alive."
"I know."
But his hands were shaking just slightly as he loaded the last shell.
Outside, Jake's truck had become mission control. The four wiz kids had transformed the crew cab into a mobile command center that would've made a military contractor jealous.
Billy Renzo had his main laptop open on the center console, connected to a portable satellite internet terminal mounted in the truck bed. Two additional monitors were propped on the dashboard, and a tangle of cables ran between devices.
Ryan Mattern was in the back seat with a tablet, coordinating with the main command center still running upstairs in the house. "Connection's solid. We've got full access to everything."
Daniel Rodriguez was testing the radio system, making sure all the handheld units were on the same encrypted frequency. "Comms check. Everyone hearing me?"
Colt was organizing the iPads, eighteen of them lined up on the tailgate, each one powered on and synced to their network. "All devices showing green. Network's encrypted. We're good to go." His Louisiana accent was thicker than his cousin's, still carrying the full weight of Baton Rouge.
Jake walked up, rifle slung over his shoulder. "This is really gonna work?"
"It's already working," Billy Renzo said without looking up. "We've got Jr.'s phone location locked. Drones are prepping for launch. Every iPad is networked—everyone's gonna see the same data in real time."
"Jesus." Jake shook his head. "When I was your age, we had walkie-talkies and a map."
"Yeah, well, we're not fucking around," Colt said.
The other men were gathering now, forming a loose circle around the truck. Wade stepped forward, and Billy Renzo started handing out iPads.
"Alright, listen up," the kid said, his voice carrying the same authority his father used in business meetings. "Each of you gets one of these. They're all connected to our network. You'll see Jr.'s phone location here—" he tapped the screen, "—drone feeds here, and GPS tracking for all our vehicles here. You can communicate through the messaging app, but keep radio as primary."
He demonstrated, swiping through screens. "It's simple. Don't overthink it."
Mr. Rodriguez took his iPad, squinting at the screen. "I can barely work my email."
"Dad, just look at it. The blue dot is Jr.'s phone. The green dots are us. That's it."
"What if I break it?"
"They're in Otterboxes. You'd have to try pretty hard."
Pops took his iPad and turned it over in his hands. "Fifty years ago, we had maps and compasses. Now we got this."
"You want the map and compass instead?" Colt asked.
"Hell no. I want every advantage we can get." Pops tucked the iPad under his arm. "Show me how to see those drone cameras."
One by one, the men took their iPads, getting quick tutorials from the wiz kids. Some picked it up immediately. Others needed more explanation. But within ten minutes, everyone had their device and understood the basics.
Wade held his up, studying the map. "This is good work, boys. Real good."
"Just bring them home," Billy Renzo said quietly.
"That's the plan."
The drones launched from the front yard, six of them rising into the late morning sky with a collective hum. They were high-end units, the kind that cost more than most people's cars, equipped with thermal imaging and cameras that could read a license plate from three hundred feet up.
Billy Renzo controlled them from his laptop, sending them toward the coordinates where Jr.'s phone was pinging. The others watched the feeds come alive on their iPads—six different aerial views of Texas ranch country, all heading northeast.
"Spread pattern," Billy muttered, adjusting the flight paths. "Cover more ground."
The drones fanned out, their cameras sweeping across empty fields, dirt roads, scattered buildings. The thermal imaging showed cattle, a few deer, the heat signatures of vehicles on distant highways.
"How far out is the phone?" Wade asked.
"About eighteen miles northeast. Middle of nowhere."
"Whose property?"
"Checking." Ryan Mattern was already pulling up county records on his tablet. "Looks like... old Hutchins place. Been abandoned for years. Family moved to Oklahoma, never sold it."
"Perfect place for a kidnapping," Josh said darkly.
The drones pushed closer. The feeds showed more detail now—a cluster of buildings coming into view. An old farmhouse, a barn, a couple of outbuildings. No vehicles visible yet.
"Zoom in on that barn," Wade said.
Billy adjusted the camera. The barn was weathered, paint peeling, but the roof looked intact. Big enough to hide a truck. Maybe two.
"Thermal's picking up something," Colt said, leaning over Billy's shoulder. "Two heat signatures. Inside the barn."
The room went silent.
"Human?" Tom asked.
"Size and temperature say yes."
Josh's hand tightened on his shotgun. "That's them."
"Could be," Wade said carefully. "Could also be squatters, homeless, anyone. We don't move until we're sure."
"The phone's pinging from that location," Billy Renzo said. "It's them."
Wade studied the feed for another long moment, then nodded. "Alright. We move. But we do this smart."
They gathered in the driveway, the full force of the consortium and law enforcement. Wade stood in the center, iPad in one hand, radio in the other.
"Here's how this works," he said. "Jake's truck leads—he's got the wiz kids and all the tech. They'll be running command from inside while we move. I'll be second with Wilson and Ryan. Tom, you're third with Pops and Robert. Josh, you're fourth with Celeb. Renzo, you're fifth with Mattern and Rodriguez."
He pointed at the iPad. "We stay in communication the whole way. Radio and these devices. We approach from the south, stay on the main road until we're a mile out, then we go quiet and move in on foot for the final approach."
The women had gathered on the porch—all of them together now, a unified front that mirrored the men in the driveway. Sarah stood at the center with Rebecca beside her, both their faces tight with fear and determination. Mary Nelson was next to Wade's side of the steps, her sheriff's wife composure barely holding. Caroline Beaumont had her arm around Mrs. Renzo, while Mrs. Mattern and Mrs. Rodriguez stood close together, hands clasped.
Anna Nelson was at the porch rail, her sixteen-year-old face pale but set, one hand gripping the wood so hard her knuckles were white. Edna stood beside her, twenty-one and barely holding it together, her eyes red from crying.
"What about us?" Sarah's voice carried across the driveway, steady despite the tremor underneath. "We need to know what's happening."
"You stay here," Wade said, his tone firm but not unkind. "We need a base. If something goes wrong, if we need backup or medical, you coordinate from here."
"Wade—" Rebecca started, her practical nurse instincts already running through worst-case scenarios.
"Rebecca." His voice softened just slightly. "I need you here. Please. All of you. We need to know home base is secure."
Sarah stepped forward, her grandmother's authority cutting through. "You keep us updated. Every step. We're not sitting here in the dark."
"Yes ma'am," Wade said. "You'll have access to the feeds through the house system. The boys set it up."
"And you bring them back," Sarah continued, her voice breaking just slightly on the last word. "Both of them. You bring my grandson and my son home."
"We will," Tom said, meeting his wife's eyes.
Rebecca's hand found Sarah's, squeezing tight. "Please," she whispered. "Please be careful."
Josh looked up at his wife, his face a mask of controlled emotion. "I'm bringing our son home."
"I know you will." Rebecca's voice was steady now, the nurse in her taking over. "We'll have everything ready. Medical supplies are laid out in the kitchen. Food's going in the oven now. When you get back—when you all get back—we'll be ready."
Anna's voice was small but clear. "Mr. Benson? Please... please bring Jr. home safe."
Josh's expression softened for just a moment. "I promise, Anna."
Edna's voice broke as she called out. "Please bring Billy home. Please."
Caroline Beaumont called out to her son. "Celeb, you stay smart out there."
"Yes ma'am," Celeb replied, his Cajun accent thick.
Mrs. Renzo's voice was tight. "You bring my boy back to me, all of you."
"We're bringing all of them back," Mr. Renzo said firmly.
The women stood together, a wall of strength and fear and love, watching their men prepare to go to war. Mrs. Mattern had her arm around Mrs. Rodriguez now, both of them watching their husbands and sons. Mary Nelson's hand was pressed to her mouth, but her eyes were dry and focused on Wade.
"We'll wait together," Sarah said, her voice carrying to all the women. "And we'll be ready when they come home."
The other women nodded, drawing closer to each other. A family united.
Wade did a final radio check. "All units, comms check."
One by one, they responded. Five vehicles, fourteen men, all armed, all connected, all focused on one thing.
"Alright," Wade said. "Let's go get our boys."
The convoy rolled out, Jake's truck in the lead, kicking up dust as they headed down the ranch road toward the main highway. Inside Jake's cab, the wiz kids were already deep in their work—Billy adjusting drone flight paths, Ryan monitoring communications, Daniel tracking GPS coordinates, Colt managing the video feeds. The truck hummed with the sound of electronics and focused concentration.
The women watched from the porch until the trucks disappeared from view, standing together in silence. Then Sarah turned to the others.
"Come on," she said quietly. "Let's get everything ready for when they come home."
They filed back into the house together, unified in purpose, ready to wait, ready to hope, ready to have everything prepared for the moment their men and boys returned.
The hunt was on.
Chapter 6
The barn was an oven. Billy could feel sweat pooling beneath him, soaking into the dirt floor. His shoulders screamed from the angle, wrists bound tight behind his back, rope connecting them down to his boots in that goddamn hogtie. Every breath through his nose was work—the duct tape wrapped around his head made his jaw ache.
But he'd been working the knots for the last hour.
Junior was doing the same, three feet away. Billy could hear him—the shuffle of boots against dirt, the strain of effort, the occasional muffled grunt through the gag. The kid was tough. Billy had always known it, but this proved it.
Outside, somewhere beyond the barn walls, he could hear the kidnappers. Laughing. Bottles clinking. Slurred voices getting louder, then quieter, then loud again. Drunk idiots celebrating their payday before they even had it.
Billy's fingers found the knot again. His hands were numb, circulation cut off by the rope at his wrists, but he could still feel enough. He worked it, pulled, twisted. The rope had some give now—not much, but some.
Junior made a sound. Billy looked over. His nephew's eyes were focused, determined. He was working his knots too, boots flexing, fingers clawing at rope he could barely reach.
Billy nodded. Keep going.
The heat was brutal. Ninety-eight degrees outside, had to be over a hundred in here. No shirt, no water, just rope and dirt and the burn in every muscle. But Billy Benson didn't quit. And neither did his nephew.
He pulled again. The rope shifted.
Come on.
Another pull. Another shift.
Junior's eyes widened. He'd felt something give too.
They kept working.
It took another twenty minutes, but Billy felt the hogtie rope finally loosen enough. He pulled his knees up, felt the tension release from his back. His wrists were still bound—biceps, elbows, wrists, all tied tight behind him—but his legs were free.
Junior got his loose a minute later. The kid's face was red, dripping sweat, but his eyes were sharp.
Billy jerked his head toward the barn door. Junior nodded.
They rolled to their sides, then struggled to their knees. Billy's legs were cramped, numb from being bent for hours. He pushed through it, got one boot under him, then the other. Stood up. Wobbled. Steadied.
Junior did the same, slower, but he made it.
They stood there, breathing hard through their noses, arms tied behind them, duct tape still wrapped around their heads. But they were standing.
Billy moved to the barn door, pressed his ear against it. Voices outside, distant. Laughing. A bottle breaking.
He looked back at Junior. Mouthed: Run.
Junior nodded.
Billy turned, backed up to the door, and worked the latch with his bound hands. It took three tries, but it lifted.
The door swung open.
Afternoon heat hit them like a wall. Billy didn't hesitate. He ran.
Junior was right behind him.
"Holy shit—they're running!"
One of the kidnappers—the skinny one—stumbled to his feet, beer bottle falling from his hand. He pointed at the two figures sprinting away from the barn, arms behind them, moving fast despite it.
"Get 'em!" the big guy yelled, lurching forward.
But they were drunk. Slow. Uncoordinated.
Billy and Junior hit the scrubland at a full run, boots pounding dirt, arms bound, breathing hard through their noses. Running with your hands tied behind you was hell—no balance, no rhythm—but they didn't stop.
Behind them, shouting. Footsteps. But distant.
Billy pushed harder. Junior kept pace.
They ran toward nothing, toward anywhere, toward away.
"I got something!"
Billy Renzo's voice cut through the hum of electronics in Jake's truck. He was leaning forward, eyes locked on the tablet showing the thermal drone feed.
"What?" Jake snapped, not taking his eyes off the road.
"Movement. Two heat signatures, running from the barn." Billy zoomed in, fingers flying across the screen. "They're moving fast—southwest from the structure."
Ryan leaned over. "That them?"
"Has to be." Billy's voice was tight. "Two figures, hands behind them. It's them. They're running."
Jake's hands tightened on the wheel. "Wade, you copy?"
"Copy," Wade's voice came back over the radio. "We see it on the feed. Adjusting course now."
"They're half a mile from your position," Daniel called out, tracking GPS. "Heading two-seven-zero."
"On it." Jake yanked the wheel, the truck lurching onto a dirt access road. The convoy followed, kicking up dust.
Colt was switching between drone feeds. "I got eyes on three more heat signatures at the barn. Moving slow. Probably the kidnappers."
"They chasing?" Wade asked.
"Trying to. But they're way behind."
Jake pushed the accelerator. "How far?"
"Quarter mile," Daniel said. "Closing fast."
Billy's lungs were burning. His legs were cramping. The heat was crushing him, sweat pouring down his face, his chest, soaking into his jeans. But he kept running.
Junior was flagging. Billy could hear it—the kid's breathing was ragged, his steps uneven.
Then Billy heard it. Engines.
He slowed, turned his head. Junior stopped beside him, both of them gasping through their noses.
Vehicles. Coming fast.
Fear spiked through Billy's chest. More of them?
Then he saw the lead truck. Jake's truck.
Relief hit him so hard his knees almost buckled.
The convoy skidded to a stop, dust billowing. Doors flew open.
Jake was out first, running. "Billy!"
Josh was right behind him. "Junior!"
Jake reached his brother, hands going to the duct tape around his head. He ripped it off in one pull. Billy gasped, sucking in air.
"You okay? You hurt?" Jake's hands were already working on the ropes at Billy's wrists.
"I'm fine," Billy rasped. "Get this shit off me."
Josh had Junior's gag off, was cutting the ropes with a knife. "You good, son?"
"Yeah." Junior's voice was hoarse. "Yeah, I'm good."
The ropes fell away. Billy brought his arms forward, wincing as circulation returned. His wrists were raw, rope-burned, but he didn't care.
Jake shoved a water bottle into his hands. "Drink."
Billy drank. Junior did the same, gulping it down.
Wade was there, checking them over with a lawman's eye. "You boys need medical?"
"We're fine," Billy said. "Three guys. Drunk off their asses. Still at the barn."
Wade nodded, then looked at Jake. "Get them in a vehicle. Water, shade. We'll handle the barn."
Josh pulled out his phone. "They need to see you. Both of you."
Billy nodded. "Yeah. Do it."
Josh opened FaceTime, tapped Sarah's contact. It rang twice before the screen filled with faces—all of them crowded around the phone at the ranch house.
Sarah was front and center, Rebecca right beside her. Behind them, Anna and Edna, both leaning in. Pops was visible in the background, arms crossed.
"Oh my God," Sarah breathed. Her hand went to her mouth.
Rebecca's eyes were already wet. "Junior—"
"We're okay, Mom," Junior said, leaning into frame beside Billy. Both of them shirtless, covered in sweat and dirt, rope burns visible on their wrists and forearms. But they were grinning.
"You look like hell," Anna said, but she was smiling through tears.
"Feel like it too," Billy said. "But we're good. We're safe."
Edna wiped her eyes. "You scared us."
"Scared ourselves," Junior admitted.
Sarah let out a shaky laugh. "You're really okay?"
"We're fine," Billy said. "Couple rope burns, nothing serious. Wade's about to go get the guys who grabbed us."
"All three of 'em," Junior added. "Drunk idiots."
Rebecca's voice cracked. "When are you coming home?"
"Soon," Josh said from off-screen. "Real soon. But you ladies might want to start getting dinner ready. These two are starving."
"Steaks," Billy said. "Big ones. We've earned it."
Pops called out from the background. "I'm firing up the grill right now. And opening the good whiskey."
"Now you're talking," Billy said, grinning.
Sarah wiped her eyes. "You'll have whatever you want. Just get home safe."
"We will," Junior said. "Promise."
"Love you," Rebecca said, her voice thick.
"Love you too, Mom."
Sarah looked at Billy. "All of you. Come home safe."
"We will," Billy said. "See you soon."
The call ended. Josh pocketed his phone, squeezed Junior's shoulder.
Jake opened the door to his truck. "You two stay here. Air conditioning, water, rest. We'll be back in twenty minutes."
"You sure?" Billy asked.
"Yeah." Jake's voice was firm. "You did your part. Let us do ours."
Billy nodded. He and Junior climbed into the back seat of Jake's truck. The AC was already running, cold air hitting their overheated skin. More water bottles appeared.
Wade gathered the men. "All right. Let's go get these sons of bitches."
The convoy moved on the barn like a hammer.
Four vehicles now—Jake's truck stayed behind with Billy and Junior—surrounding the structure in under a minute. Wade positioned his people, hand signals coordinating the approach.
Billy and Junior watched from Jake's truck, safe in the shade, drinking water.
Wade's voice boomed across the clearing. "Sheriff's department! Come out with your hands up!"
Silence.
Then stumbling. Cursing. The barn door opened.
The skinny one came out first, hands half-raised, squinting in the sun. The big guy followed, swaying. The third one—the one who'd tied the knots—tried to run.
He made it three steps before Mr. Rodriguez clotheslined him. The guy hit the dirt hard.
"Stay down," Mr. Rodriguez said calmly.
Wade and his sons moved in, weapons trained. "On the ground! All of you!"
They complied. Drunk, stupid, and completely outmatched.
Wade's boys had them in cuffs in under a minute. Professional. Efficient.
The skinny one started talking. "Hey, man, we didn't hurt 'em, we just—"
"Shut up," Jake said, stepping forward. His voice was cold. "You don't get to talk."
The guy shut up.
Wade read them their rights, his voice flat and official. The kidnappers were loaded into the back of a deputy's vehicle, hands cuffed behind them, heads down.
Pops walked up to the truck, looked at the three idiots through the window. "Y'all picked the wrong damn family."
One of them looked up. "We didn't know—"
"That's your problem," Pops said. "You didn't know shit."
Wade processed the scene like the professional he was. Photos. Evidence bags. Statements. The rope, the duct tape, the barn itself—all of it documented.
The consortium men stood watch, weapons ready but not needed. The threat was over.
Mr. Renzo walked back to Jake's truck, looked at Billy and Junior through the window. "You boys did good. Real good."
"We just ran," Junior said.
"You got yourselves loose first," Mr. Renzo said. "That takes brains and guts. You got both."
Billy nodded his thanks, took another drink of water.
Wade finished up, walked over to the group. "We're done here. Let's get these boys home."
Jake nodded. "Rebecca's waiting."
"So's Mom," Junior said quietly.
Josh squeezed his son's shoulder. "Let's not keep 'em waiting."
They loaded up. The kidnappers were already gone, hauled off to county lockup. The barn stood empty, evidence tape across the door.
The convoy rolled out, heading back toward the ranch. Inside Jake's truck, Billy looked at Junior in the back seat. The kid was exhausted, rope-burned, dehydrated. But he was smiling.
"Hell of a day," Junior said.
"Hell of a family," Billy said back.
Jake glanced at his brother. "Damn right."
The convoy drove on, dust trailing behind them, the afternoon sun still blazing overhead. Ahead, the ranch waited. The women waited. Home waited.
And they were bringing their boys back.
Chapter 7
The convoy pulled through the ranch gates just after seven. The sun was dropping toward the horizon, painting everything gold and orange, and the house was lit up like Christmas.
They were all there. Every woman, every mother, every girlfriend. Standing on the porch, in the driveway, waiting.
Jake's truck rolled to a stop first. The passenger door flew open before the engine even cut off.
Sarah was there in seconds. She pulled the door wide, reached in, and grabbed Junior's face with both hands. "Baby—"
"I'm okay, Mom." Junior's voice cracked. "I'm okay."
She pulled him into her arms, and Josh was right behind her, wrapping them both up. His hand went to the back of Junior's head, holding him close. "You scared the hell out of us."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry," Josh said, his voice rough. "Just be here."
Rebecca was at the driver's side, pulling Jake out of the truck. She didn't say anything, just held him tight, her face pressed against his shoulder.
Tom came around the back, opened Billy's door. Billy stepped down, stiff and sore, and Tom grabbed him in a bear hug that lifted him off his feet. "You stupid, brave kid."
"I'm fine, Dad."
"You better be." Tom set him down, looked him over. "You better be."
The door to Mr. Renzo's truck opened, and the wiz kids piled out.
Billy Renzo came first, and Mrs. Renzo was there immediately, pulling him into her arms. "Thank God you're safe."
Ryan stepped down next, and Mrs. Mattern grabbed him tight, holding him like she might never let go.
Daniel was right behind him, and Mrs. Rodriguez had her arms around her son before his feet fully hit the ground.
Mr. Renzo was shaking Colt's hand, then pulling him in for a hug.
The driveway was chaos. Relief. Tears. Laughter.
Then Edna Nelson came running.
She was twenty-one, blonde, and she moved like a woman on a mission. She hit Billy Benson at full speed, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him hard.
Billy caught her, held her, kissed her back. When they broke apart, she was crying. "Don't you ever—"
"I won't."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
She kissed him again, softer this time, and Billy's hands tightened on her waist.
Behind them, Anna Nelson was walking toward Junior. She was sixteen, dark-haired like her mother, and she looked like she'd been crying for hours.
Junior saw her coming and went red. "Anna—"
She didn't let him finish. She grabbed his shirt, pulled him down, and kissed him right there in front of everyone.
Junior's eyes went wide. His hands hovered for a second, then settled on her back. When she pulled away, his face was the color of a tomato.
"You're okay," Anna whispered.
"Yeah. I'm okay."
"Good." She kissed him again, quick and fierce, then stepped back. Her hand stayed in his.
Jake grinned. "Kid's got game."
"Shut up," Junior muttered, but he was smiling.
Mary Nelson stood on the porch next to Sarah, watching her daughters with their boyfriends. "Both of them," she said quietly. "We got both of them back."
Sarah squeezed her hand. "We did."
The wiz kids had been running operations remotely from the safety of the second truck during the assault, and they hadn't seen Junior since before the kidnapping.
Now they saw him standing there, rope burns on his wrists, dirt on his face, Anna Nelson holding his hand.
"Holy shit," Billy Renzo said. "Jr.!"
Junior looked up, grinned. "Hey."
"We found you!" Ryan was already running. "The drones worked! The whole system worked!"
Daniel was right behind him. "You should've seen it—we had six feeds going, thermal imaging, the whole thing—"
"It was insane," Colt added, jogging over. "Best op we've ever run."
They surrounded Junior, all talking at once, and then Billy Renzo grabbed him. "Come here."
Before Junior could protest, they lifted him up. All four of them, hoisting him onto their shoulders.
"Billy Junior! Billy Junior!" they chanted, carrying him around the driveway like a trophy.
Junior's face went red again. "Guys—put me down—"
"Hell no!" Ryan laughed. "You're a hero!"
"We ran the tech, you ran through the brush," Daniel said. "Team effort!"
"Billy Junior! Billy Junior!"
Anna was laughing, hands over her mouth. Sarah was shaking her head, smiling. Josh just watched, arms crossed, grinning like an idiot.
Finally, they set him down. Junior was laughing now, embarrassed but happy. "You guys are insane."
"First real operation," Colt said, slapping his shoulder. "And it worked."
"Damn right it worked," Billy Renzo said. He looked at Junior, serious for a second. "You did good, man."
Junior nodded. "So did you."
The smell hit them before they even reached the backyard.
Grills. Charcoal. Mesquite smoke. Steaks, ribs, sausage, chicken. The women had been cooking for hours.
Long tables were set up under the oak trees, covered in red-and-white checkered cloths. Bowls of potato salad, coleslaw, beans, cornbread. Pitchers of sweet tea and lemonade. Pies cooling on the porch rail.
"Jesus," Billy said, staring. "You did all this?"
"We had to do something," Rebecca said. She was standing at one of the grills, tongs in hand. "Couldn't just sit around."
"We figured you'd be hungry," Mrs. Rodriguez added, flipping ribs.
"Starving," Junior said.
Sarah pointed at the nearest table. "Then sit. Eat. Both of you."
They didn't argue.
Within minutes, everyone was gathered. Plates piled high, chairs pulled close, the whole consortium spread out under the trees.
"Alright," Jake said, leaning back with a beer. "We gotta hear it. What the hell happened out there?"
Billy and Junior looked at each other.
"You start," Junior said.
Billy grinned. "Okay. So these idiots roll up in a truck—"
"Drunk," Junior added.
"Completely hammered," Billy confirmed. "And they're trying to act tough, but one of them can barely stand."
"The skinny one kept dropping stuff," Junior said, laughing. "Dropped the duct tape twice."
"And the big guy—" Billy shook his head. "He ties us up, hogties us, and he's so drunk he doesn't even check the knots."
"Wait," Colt said. "They hogtied you and didn't check the knots?"
"Idiots," Billy said. "Complete idiots."
"So we're in this barn," Junior continued, "and it's hot as hell, and we're just lying there. And Billy starts working his wrists."
"Took forever," Billy said. "But the rope had some give. I got one hand loose, then the other."
"Then he got me loose," Junior said. "And we just... ran."
"Through the brush?"
"Through everything," Billy said. "Mesquite, cactus, didn't matter. We just ran."
"And they chased you?"
"Tried to," Junior said. "But they were drunk and we were motivated."
The table erupted in laughter.
"Motivated," Jake repeated. "That's one word for it."
"Terrified," Billy corrected, grinning. "That's the other word."
"But you made it," Tom said quietly. "That's what matters."
Billy nodded. "Yeah. We made it."
Pops had been sitting quietly, cigar in hand, listening. Now he stood, grunted, and headed toward the frat house.
"Where's he going?" Junior asked.
Jake grinned. "You'll see."
Ten minutes later, Pops came back down the frat house steps carrying an armload of bottles. Jack Daniels. Not the regular stuff. The good stuff. His special stash. Four bottles, maybe five.
Sarah saw it and raised an eyebrow. "Tom..."
"Don't start," Pops said. He set the bottles down on the table with a heavy thunk. "These boys earned it."
He pulled out a stack of shot glasses from his pocket, lined them up. Started pouring.
First, he poured for Billy. Set the glass in front of him, looked him in the eye. "You got yourself loose. Got Junior loose. Ran through hell to get home. You earned this."
Billy nodded, took the glass.
Then Pops poured for Junior. "You kept your head. Didn't panic. Made it back. That takes guts, son."
Junior's hand shook a little as he took the glass. "Thank you, Pops."
Pops moved down the line. Poured for Billy Renzo. "Your drones found them. Your tech made the whole thing possible."
Billy Renzo grinned. "Yes sir."
Ryan got the next glass. "Real-time tracking. Six feeds. You boys ran it like professionals."
"Thank you, Mr. Benson," Ryan said.
Daniel was next. "Thermal imaging in the dark. That's what gave us the edge."
Daniel took his glass, nodded.
Colt got his. "Coordination. Communication. You kept everyone connected."
"Appreciate it, Pops," Colt said.
Then Pops poured for Jake. For Celeb. For Wade. For Josh. For Tom. For every man who'd gone on the operation.
When everyone had a glass, Pops poured one for himself. He raised it high, looked around at all of them.
"To the two Billys," Pops said, his voice rough with emotion. "Who survived what no man should have to go through."
"To the two Billys," the men echoed.
"And to the wiz kids," Pops continued. "Whose tech brought our boys home."
"To the wiz kids."
They threw back the whiskey.
Pops set down his glass, picked up one of the bottles, and handed it to Billy. Then he handed another to Junior. A third went to Billy Renzo. The fourth to Ryan.
"You boys keep these," Pops said. "You earned them."
Billy looked at the bottle in his hands, then at Pops. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me," Pops said. "Just remember this day. Remember what you did. Remember what you're capable of."
He looked at the wiz kids. "And you boys—what you built, what you did today—that's the future. That's what's going to keep this family safe."
Billy Renzo held up his bottle. "We won't let you down, sir."
"I know you won't," Pops said.
He poured another round for the men, passed the remaining bottles around. The whiskey flowed, the toasts continued, and the celebration deepened.
Sarah was watching, arms crossed, but she didn't say anything. Just shook her head, smiling.
When the bottles finally made their way back to Pops, he raised his glass one more time. "To family."
"To family," they said.
Wade Nelson leaned back in his chair, plate empty, shot glass in hand. "So here's where we're at legally."
Everyone quieted down.
"The kidnappers are in county lockup," Wade said. "All three of them. We've got them on kidnapping, assault, unlawful restraint, and a few other charges. Federal prosecutor's already been notified."
"Federal?" Josh asked.
"Kidnapping across state lines is federal," Wade said. "Even if they didn't cross state lines, the severity means the feds might pick it up anyway. These boys are looking at twenty years minimum. Probably more."
"Good," Pops said.
Wade nodded. "And I gotta say—the tech system you all built? It worked perfectly. The drones, the tracking, the coordination. We had real-time intel the whole way. That's what made the difference."
Mr. Renzo raised his beer. "Fifty thousand dollars well spent."
"Damn right," Mr. Mattern said.
"Best investment we ever made," Mr. Rodriguez added.
Wade looked at the wiz kids. "You boys did good work today. Real good."
Billy Renzo grinned. "First real op."
"Won't be the last," Wade said. "Not with this setup."
The celebration stretched on. Plates were refilled. Stories were told. Someone brought out a guitar, and music drifted through the yard.
Rebecca was checking Billy's wrists, cleaning the rope burns with antiseptic. "You're gonna have scars."
"Good," Billy said. "Chicks dig scars."
Edna smacked his arm. "Idiot."
"Your idiot," Billy said, grinning.
She kissed his cheek. "Yeah. My idiot."
Across the yard, Sarah was making sure Junior ate. "Another plate."
"Mom, I'm full—"
"Another plate."
Junior sighed, but he was smiling. Anna sat next to him, her hand on his knee, not letting him get too far.
Josh stood nearby, beer in hand, watching his son. He hadn't let Junior out of his sight since they got back.
Jake came up beside him. "He's okay."
"I know," Josh said. "But I'm not letting him out of my sight for a week."
"Fair."
Tom and Sarah stood together on the porch, watching the whole scene. The families, the food, the laughter. Their boys, safe and home.
"Hell of a day," Tom said.
Sarah leaned against him. "Hell of a family."
Pops was in his chair, cigar glowing in the dark, surveying everything like a general watching his troops. His boys were home. His family was safe. That was all that mattered.
The sun dropped below the horizon, and the yard lights came on. The music kept playing. The conversations kept flowing.
Billy and Edna sat together on the porch steps, her head on his shoulder. "You scared me," she said quietly.
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Don't do it again."
"I won't."
She looked up at him. "Promise?"
"Promise."
Junior and Anna were sitting under one of the oak trees, close enough that their shoulders touched. "You really okay?" Anna asked.
"Yeah. I'm okay."
"You sure?"
Junior looked at her, smiled. "I'm sure."
She kissed him, soft and quick, and he went red again. She laughed. "You're cute when you blush."
"Shut up."
Jake and Billy sat on the tailgate of Jake's truck, beers in hand, watching the celebration. "Hell of a day," Jake said.
"You keep saying that," Billy said.
"Because it's true."
Billy grinned. "Yeah. It is."
Josh came over, sat down next to them. "You two did good today."
"We just ran," Billy said.
"You got yourselves loose first," Josh said. "That's the hard part."
"Jr. did good too," Billy said.
Josh nodded. "Yeah. He did."
They sat in silence for a moment, watching the families, the food, the laughter.
"This is what it's about," Josh said quietly. "This. Right here."
"Yeah," Jake said. "It is."
The celebration went on into the night. The consortium—six families, united by technology, by trust, by something bigger than any one of them—sat together under the Texas stars.
Billy and Junior were home. Safe. The kidnappers were in jail. The system had worked.
And as the music played and the laughter echoed across the ranch, everyone felt it. The relief. The joy. The certainty that they'd built something real. Something that mattered.
Pops raised his glass one more time, looked around at his family, and smiled.
"Hell of a day," he said.
"Hell of a family," Tom said back.
It was past midnight when the celebration finally wound down. The families started heading home, hugs and goodbyes echoing across the yard. The mothers kissed their sons one more time. The fathers clapped shoulders, squeezed arms.
When the last truck pulled away, Billy looked at Jake. "Frat house?"
Jake grinned. "Frat house."
They gathered up the crew—Billy, Jake, Celeb, Colt, Junior, and the four wiz kids. Billy Renzo, Ryan, Daniel, all of them.
"Where are you going?" Sarah called from the porch.
"Frat house, Mom," Junior said.
She looked at Josh. He nodded. "Let them go."
Sarah sighed. "One hour. Then bed."
"Yes ma'am."
They climbed the stairs to the frat house, boots heavy on the wood. The room was dark until Jake flipped on the light. The bunks, the posters, the Texas flag on the wall. Their space.
Billy went straight to the corner, knelt down, and pried up the loose floorboard. He reached in and pulled out the case of beer. The secret stash. The good stuff Pops didn't know they knew about.
"There it is," Jake said, grinning.
Billy popped the top, pulled out bottles, started passing them around. One to Jake. One to Celeb. One to Colt. One to Junior. One to each of the wiz kids.
They cracked them open, the sound echoing in the quiet room.
Billy raised his bottle. "To getting Junior back."
"To getting Junior back," they echoed.
They drank.
Junior sat on the edge of his bunk, beer in hand, looking around at all of them. "You guys really came for me."
"Of course we did," Jake said. "You're family."
"Damn right," Celeb added.
"The drones worked perfectly," Billy Renzo said, leaning back against the wall. "Six feeds, thermal imaging, real-time tracking. It was beautiful."
"Best op we've ever run," Ryan said.
"Only real op we've ever run," Daniel corrected, grinning.
"Still counts," Colt said.
They laughed, drank, settled into the easy rhythm of brothers who'd been through something together.
"You really got loose on your own?" Billy Renzo asked.
Junior nodded. "Billy got his hands free first. Then mine. Then we just ran."
"Through the brush," Jake said. "In the dark."
"Didn't have a choice," Billy said. "It was run or wait for them to sober up."
"Smart move," Celeb said.
They sat in silence for a moment, drinking, thinking.
"I was scared," Junior said quietly. "When they grabbed us. I was really scared."
Billy looked at him. "Me too."
"But we made it," Junior said.
"Yeah," Billy said. "We made it."
Jake raised his bottle again. "To making it."
"To making it," they said.
They drank.
Colt leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "This is what it's about, you know? This. Right here. All of us. Together."
"Brotherhood," Celeb said.
"Damn right," Jake said.
Junior looked around the room. At Billy, who'd been tied up next to him. At Jake, who'd driven through the night to find him. At Celeb and Colt, who'd been ready to fight. At the wiz kids, who'd run the tech that made it all possible.
"Thank you," Junior said. "All of you."
"Don't thank us," Jake said. "We're family. This is what family does."
They sat together in the frat house, beers in hand, the weight of the day finally settling. The fear, the relief, the certainty that they'd do it all again if they had to.
Billy Renzo raised his bottle one more time. "To the consortium."
"To the consortium," they said.
They drank, and the bottles clinked together in the quiet room.
Outside, the Texas night stretched wide and dark. But in the frat house, under the single light, the young men sat together. Safe. Home. Brothers.
And that was everything.
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