That one sentence, those few words, made all this worthwhile. But I was still confused, and confusion doesn’t sit well with a guy like me. I like to see a problem and tackle it. Head-on. This was a puzzle, and I didn’t see a clear answer. I straightened up. The freed men were all looking at me to see what my next move would be.

I looked over at Couch Potato Man, who had remained unusually quiet. I said, “You guys feel tough locking up a little girl?”

He didn’t say a word.

Bailey Mae tugged on my arm and waited for me to lean down so her mouth was close to my ear. She said, “I saw it, Mitchum.”

“Saw what?”

She nodded at Couch Potato Man. “I was delivering my coffee cakes to the Wilkses and I saw that man shoot them. They worked with these people. Mr. Wilks found this place for them. I heard them argue about money, and Mr. Wilks said he’d tell the media about it. That’s when that guy shot them. Bang, bang, without any hesitation. I was so scared I couldn’t move. He turned around with the pistol in his hand, and the only thing I did was put down my coffee cakes and freeze.”

Now I definitely didn’t regret anything I had done to the man tied in the chair.

Chapter 37

Chapter 37

On the other side of the cabin, the former captives sat in a group as the realization that they had been rescued sank in. Each man accepted it in his own way. One younger man, maybe only twenty, leaned against the wall, sobbing quietly. Several others were smiling or laughing with the joy of being free and out of that hellhole. Two middle-aged men eyed Couch Potato Man and my other two prisoners with palpable malice. I worried that I might have to step over there just to keep the peace, but I had no doubt that these thugs had earned the hatred of the captives.

I tried to imagine being caged in that smelly hole and wondering if I’d ever get out. The idea gave me the willies. It made me realize everything I’d miss. My family, even my brother, was important to me, but so was the whole town. It made me angry to think that someone tried to take that from these men. I almost considered letting them take their revenge. Instead, I plopped silently onto a stool by the kitchen.

Neither of the men we’d subdued looked scared. They didn’t even look worried. I didn’t like it. The man who had threatened me took in the whole room, listening to what was being said, and seemed to be calculating something. What he was calculating I couldn’t say, but the gears were turning in his head.