Protector

Chapter XXV

John's POV
*** ONE DAY BEFORE ***

I slammed my fist against the wooden table and ran my palm over my face.

"Here." A voice said and broke my concentration. I accepted the warm cup of coffee with a weary smile.

"Have you had any luck?" They asked.

I shook my head, burying the urge to throw a chair into a wall. Before me was a map of the preserve Jasmine called home with all the cabins in the surrounding areas either circled or marked off with red ink.

"We ransacked all the cabins and warehouses surrounding the preserve. There's been no sign of Ghost or them." I said, my eyes dragging over the paper for the hundredth time. "Where the hell could he have taken them, Andrew?"

Andrew clapped me on the shoulder, squeezing it. "We'll find them, John. We won't stop looking."

"It's been four days," I gritted out, running my fingers through my already unkempt tresses. A knot lingered in my throat and shot down into my stomach. "What if they're already dead?"

Andrew set his jaw. "We haven't found them yet, so until we do, don't give up."

I didn't respond and watched him leave toward the kitchen.

It's easy for you to say, I growled. You didn't see the absolute fear in her eyes, Andrew.

Jasmine had been terrified of losing me. She had abandoned her previous desire to protect her family to ensure I was safe. Ghost used her fear to his advantage and lured her into his grasp from right under my nose.

I should've never let her leave my sight.

When I regained consciousness in the preserve, Jasmine and Christian were gone. Thinking the worst, I called Andrew and the rest of the rangers in the vicinity. Jessica and Owen had been the only ones to respond with Axel and Jayson off on a poltergeist Hunt in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Andrew sped up to the preserve from his bunker in DeKalb. We briefed him on the abduction and raced to relocate to the outskirts of town.

After two days of searching with no progress, I decided that moving to Andrew's bunker to search the surrounding areas there was the best option.

So far none of the abandoned cabins and warehouses in the area housed the captive supernatural adolescents. Every dead end eased my fear but also escalated it. It was enough to drive me mad. Who could truly know how far Ghost would take things?

The grating screech of a door alerted us to visitors. Jessica's loose ponytail bounced along with her as she bounded down the stairs with a bag of enticing food. "I brought some grub."

Andrew popped from the kitchen and flocked to the food, a characteristic grin wrinkling the corners of his eyes as he snatched a cheeseburger.

Jessica smirked and turned to me. "You should get yours before your brother inhales it."

I managed a stiff chuckle and shook my head. "Thanks, but I'm not that hungry, Jess."

"Hey, where did Owen run off to?" Andrew asked through his mouthful of food.

My nose crinkled with disgust. "Close your mouth, damn it."

He shot me a glare before Jessica's giggle diverted his attention. "He went off to the local police station to give the Sheriff a heads up about those kidnapped kids. He's a friend of the Hunter Network. He'll be keeping an ear out for anything on those two."

"Like that's going to help," I muttered. The silence that ensued crawled up my spine.

"What are you talking about?" Jessica asked.