Jesse walked down the lane and met up with the gang in the Rover. They congratulated her on the shooting, and Nick moved the tree behind the car. Before long, they were back at the main road. Polly followed as they headed to the cabin.

The sign to the cabin was hard to spot, but the second time they passed by, Stevie picked it out. Byron opened the gate, and the vehicles pulled through. He jumped back in, and they began the mile-long journey up the gravel road. One side was flanked by a beautiful creek strewn with moss-covered stones and overhung by trees.

The other side was a slightly thinned-out forest. The underbrush had been thinned out once upon a time but had since grown back. It was thinner than the dense woods from earlier but would still make a formidable opponent if one were to be caught out in there.

The lane was mainly a straight shot to the cabin. When they pulled up, they were all in awe. It was a sprawling, seven-bedroom, beautiful log-style cabin that was modern yet built to look rustic. The yard was a perfectly manicured lawn that covered at least three acres, and beyond that was a lake in the backyard and forests to the East and West.

Sal had definitely understood this place. It had a detached four-car garage, a large covered pavilion overlooking the lake, and what looked like a three-hole golf course.

"Sal has some explaining to do. Did you guys know he's freaking loaded?" Julie asked.

Byron started laughing. He didn't give a shit about money for the most part, but Sal always acted like he didn't have that much money. He never wanted to spend any to make improvements at the bar and said he liked how it was.

Mikel and Polly parked in front of the garage, and everyone climbed out. Becka looked worn out from taking care of Hope for most of the day, though as soon as Julie caught sight of the baby, she immediately retook ownership. Everyone headed to the main house with bags in hand, prepared to unpack and relax. They were definitely not prepared for what was to meet them when they got to the front door.

#

David sat up in the dark, feeling around for anything that might help him cut the restraints from his wrists and ankles. He could make his way on his own if he could get his wrists free. He was tied at the elbows as well, but that would only slow him down, not stop him. There was far too much at stake.

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The door opened three times a day for food deliveries, once for waste removal, and once for water delivery. The waste bucket was literally a tiny plastic Tupperware bowl that, if broken, couldn't cut through a piece of paper. The food was the same for every meal. Preheated MRE on a paper plate, no fork. Not that he could use one. The water was in a large yet shallow plastic dish.

The floor was concrete and smooth. The walls were mostly concrete, but he had found seams in a few spots. After a few days of trying, he had managed to get a piece of his water dish to chip off, which he used to worry away the concrete at a seam. He was working at it low enough that the wolves shouldn't notice it. Eventually, he thought it might get rough enough to rub through the ties. He just hoped he had that kind of time remaining.

#

Nick opened the front door and stopped cold. He held up a hand, ordering the group to hold, which they did. The smell of cooking meat wafted out the now open door towards the group, meaning there was someone inside what was meant to be an empty cabin.

Nick made a few hand gestures, and Jesse and Mikel lifted their rifles, crouched, and approached the door. Jesse turned to the remaining group and pointed to the vehicles, advising them to head over to the cars. The group listened, dropped the gear, and moved quietly back to the garage area.

Nick covered the door with Jesse as Mikel turned the handle and entered. They took covered positions on each side of the entryway and slowly swept the room. The cabin had an enormous "grand room" with windows along three walls from floor to ceiling. It spanned the width and height of the entire cabin and had magnificent rock fireplaces built into the walls at each end. Three hallways led off deeper into the cabin. One from the center and one from each end. Jesse took the center, Mikel the left, and Nick the right.

As Nick checked the first door, he found it filled with cross-country ski gear. The next was snow-shoe gear. The third was locked, and as he prepared to pick the lock, there was a loud shout followed by exuberant laughter and shouting. Jesse was calling everyone to come quickly; food was on, and they didn't want to miss it.

Nick turned and jogged back the way he came and went down the center hallway, close to the tail of Mikel. Sal was standing in the kitchen. His arms wrapped tightly around Jesse. Mikel joined in immediately, laughter all around.

Nick stood by, glad to see his companions reunited with their dear friend. He had questions, but they could wait. He had a good idea that his men dropped Sal here after a failed attempt at gaining access to Chicago. They would have circled back north before attempting a boat landing, sending him to the cabin instead of bringing him along. That was his initial assumption, anyway.

The three broke their embrace, and Mikel headed for the front door to alert the others of their find. A few minutes later, everyone was inside, sharing the last day's events. Sal was more withdrawn than usual, a bit quieter than his grandiose self. He still commanded an audience but didn't go as far as being one of the room's main focal points. He tended to stick to smaller groups instead of talking loudly to everyone. Something had shifted in him over the last 24 hours.

Jesse picked up on it immediately and planned to get to the source of it.