He set the drone down on the roof of a big metal building that turned out to be a livestock barn. From the roof, the drone could watch the women in the vegetable garden. Others worked inside the barn cleaning the stalls, while some were outside with the cows, pigs, and sheep in the pens.

The drone zipped quickly by the windows of what appeared to be a commissary, confirming it was the place the group ate during the workday and probably fed the men who worked nights. Edge sent the drone toward the second large metal building, a heavy equipment shed, landing it on the roof to give them a bird’s-eye view of the people moving around outside.

“It’s Callie!” Skye said, spotting her sister as she left the vegetable patch and started across the compound with two other women. It was five o’clock, probably the end of the workday. Callie and one of the women, with a curvy figure, long black hair, and a very pretty face, disappeared into one of the white, wood-frame cottages while a thirty something redhead went into the unit next door.

The drone zipped down off the roof and flew just above the windows of the house, giving them a view inside. Callie walked into the bedroom, which was modestly furnished with two twin beds, a dresser, and a pair of nightstands. She sank down on the bed, wiping her eyes.

Skye gripped Edge’s shoulder. “She looks like she’s crying.”

His jaw felt tight. “Christ knows what they’ve done to her.”

“Edge, we’ve got to get her out of there.”

He just shook his head. “We aren’t ready yet. We’ll watch the place tonight and come back again tomorrow, be ready to go in with Trace tomorrow night. We go in unprepared, we could wind up getting your sister killed.”

Skye’s attention returned to the screen. The drone was back on the roof of the building, the camera reporting movements in and around the compound. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, if it were one of my brothers, I’d feel the same way.” He remembered being forced to hold his position in Mexico while his brother had nearly drowned.

Skye managed a smile that showed the same worry he was feeling. “Callie and I have never been close, but she’s still my sister. Thinking of her being abused in there . . . it’s just . . . it’s hard to handle.”

“You need to do what you’ve been trained to do—put your emotions aside and focus.” The way she was gazing up at him, Edge couldn’t resist leaning down and brushing a soft kiss over her lips. “And that is exactly what you’ll do.”

It occurred to him that he trusted Skye every bit as much as any of the men who had served with him in the army. Unfortunately, in Skye’s case, his body wanted more from her than just a reliable partner.

Skye blinked up at him, and color rose beneath the sculpted bones in her cheeks. He wanted to kiss her again, just sink in and take and take and take. One brief touch wasn’t nearly enough.