Hunted

HUNTED Chapter 24

Lanz Island

Something just didn't sit right with Callen. He dragged himself out of bed and gripped the window sill. It was too quiet.

A scream pierced the air. His mind tried to think whose it was—Thea's.

"Mommy!"—Alice.

No! No! No! They'd found them. He knew they weren't safe there. But no one would listen to him. He pulled his weapon out from the side drawer and moved on his unsteady legs to the front door of the cabin.

A rush of movement ahead of him caught his attention. Kensi, Deeks and Hetty moved towards the beach. He followed them. He had to follow, to know who had caused his wife to scream and his daughter to call out to her.

Soft leaves on low lying branches brushed across his face and body as he moved silently towards the beach. He knew Sam had gone down to his sea plane to change the numbers and stripes so no one could match it with the one back in Victoria. Sam was down there, he had to be. Tristan had gone with him, he didn't doubt that. And he knew that with all of Sam's being, he would do what he could to protect his son.

The branches cleared and the bright sunlight hit him with a force of brightness, that he'd missed back under the forest canopy. It took him a moment to adjust his blue eyes to what he saw before him. He furrowed his brow as he looked at the situation before him.

Sam was in the midst of them all. A man whom Callen did not recognise stood to the side with Alice in his arms, while he held a gun out front at Sam.

"Sam, don't make me do this."

Callen looked between Sam and this stranger with confusion. Thea held Tristan in her arms, tears streamed down her face.

"Mommy!" Alice called out again. His four year old fought the man, but he was too strong for her small frame.

Deeks and Kensi moved behind the man, Hetty moved in to take Tristan from Thea, but she didn't relent. Instead, she strengthened the hold on her son for dear life.

"Thea, please! Tristan shouldn't be witness to this."

Thea turned, her first recognition of the woman she'd looked up to for so long. "Hetty!"

"I'll take him back to his father. He'll keep him safe."

Thea nibbled on her bottom lip, her eyes darted from her son to her daughter. As she nodded, another figure caught her attention—-her husband stood back, confused.

Sam took a step forward to his partner. "Matt, let Alice go."

Matt Dodds shook his head, his hand on his weapon wavered. "No!" He licked his lips from nerves. "You don't understand."

"Help me understand." Sam remained calm, shortening the distance ever so slowly. "Let Alice go. Can't you see she's distressed?"

Matt's hand loosened. "They're coming. They'll be here any moment. If I don't deliver Callen, they'll kill my family."

Sam turned his head, he saw his old partner standing further back of the beach, struggling to remain on his feet. Hetty carried Tristan towards Stephen, while Thea moved closer to where he stood. She wanted her daughter safe. There was no way she was allowing this man to take her daughter away.

"Then you don't need Alice."

"I'll trader her for her father."

"Who's Callen?" Alice's inquisitive mind was working hard. She'd seen her brother haply build sandcastles with this man as she arrived down at the beach. Her Uncle Sam had a look of pleasure on his face while he worked on her father's plane. This Matt, whoever he was, she believed to be a good man. Uncle Sam trusted him to be there with them. He'd chatted to Tristan about his own sons. She tried to block out the pain in her arm where this man held her too tight.