He crept forward, his heart pounding and breath quickening. He shined his flashlight on the cockpit.

Empty.

Terra could have been thrown from the helicopter. No, no, no, no . . .

He flashed the light around. “Terra!”

She could be hurt and dying. He rushed around the crash site, taking in the helicopter parts sprawled throughout this part of the forest.

“Terra!” Jack called as he searched.

In his heart, he would still keep hoping, still keep believing Terra was alive.

A box lay opened next to the body of the helicopter. Robert had explained that Terra’s father had brought the artifact to negotiate. Was this it? But the only thing Jack saw in the box was a plastic Darth Vader mask.

“Looks like dear old dad didn’t have the artifact, after all,” Owen said.

“So that means, if they both survived, Tony has her. He’ll keep her as ransom for it.”

Owen rubbed his whole face, as if wiping away the anguish twisting his features. “Which way do you think Briggs would go?” Owen asked. “What do you think would be his best escape?”

“I vote for heading east. He could make his way down. Maybe steal a vehicle. Search and rescue would take a different path, but we should split up, just in case. We can’t lose her.”

“Agreed. And Jack?” Owen hesitated.

“Yeah.”

“Watch your back. Stay alive.”

“You do the same. We’ll find her.”

Jack relied on the flashlight to light his path but remained cautious that he didn’t head off a cliff. A gust of wind foretold of the arctic winter to come, blasting a strong hint of bitter cold he could feel to his bones.

Outside the ring of light from the flashlight, darkness felt like it closed in around him.

Where are you, Terra?

Be alive. Just be alive.

The hair on the back of his neck rose. He stiffened, bracing for danger. Wind rushed over him milliseconds before a form slammed into him, knocking him into a granite boulder and bumping the flashlight from his grip. His gun flew from his hand as the breath whooshed from his lungs.

The beam of light flickered and went out, leaving him in darkness. Sensing movement again, he rolled out of the way. A fist caught the side of his jaw. Jack landed on his bum arm, and he swallowed a cry of pain.

His pulse roared in his ears. He refused to let panic get the best of him, but where was the gun?

“Briggs. Give it up. I know who you are.” Slowly standing, Jack calmed his breaths. Evened his tone. “The cops know you’re Tony Gray. Your mother saw you in her house last night. She thought she was seeing a ghost. My guess is you were worried that Leif had gotten to her.”

Jack listened and waited. Where was Briggs?