"You made the right call. Come on, if we find her tonight, the last thing you're gonna want to do is say goodbye to her again. Not to mention, that would entail you entrusting her safety with virtual strangers. Regardless of Jim's promises that she'll be protected, I wouldn't take that chance," Sanders says while looking out the passenger side window of the car, searching for Leroy's truck.

"I know what you're doing, man," I reply, looking over at him.

Looking back, he smirks. "What?" he asks, suddenly feigning confusion.

"Is this your way of giving me your blessing, Sanders?" I respond, eyeing him from the side then shifting my focus back on the road.

"My blessing? You plan on getting hitched before you two run off into the sunset? I'm honored, man, really," he says, placing his hand on his chest, "but I don't really know Mad–"

"You know what I'm talking about," I say loudly, talking over him. "My decision is already made, so why do you feel the need to try and convince me?" I continue as I scan the area we're passing.

"I'm not worried that you won't take Maddie and run, you know that. We both know the score. If the opportunity presented itself, and I found Anna first, as much as I love you, I would not hesitate to leave your ass behind," he says.

"Yeah, and you're full of shit," I respond, giving him a little shove towards the door.

"Okay, okay. I might hesitate a little. But all joking aside...would it feel all kinds of wrong to leave you behind? Of course it would, but I'd do it. And you'd expect me to," he says with conviction.

"We know this already," I reply.

"Look, man, as tough as you may be, you don't know how to leave people behind," he says, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat. "After all, that's why you're here, isn't it?" he continues. "Accepting the fact that Maddie left and finding a way to go on without her was never an option for you. Was it?" he asks, and I feel the weight of his stare.

"No," I reply as I shake my head.

"Look, you'll have enough on your plate dealing with leaving your mom and Grace, so I need you to keep me off that list, bro."

My chest tightens at just the mention of them. "What list, Sanders?" I respond, slightly annoyed.

"The list of people you're going to beat yourself up for leaving behind, and don't you dare make me one of them. And as far as your mom and Grace, I told you I'd look out for them. Jim said he'd keep tabs on them too."

"I know, and I appreciate that," I reply, looking over at him. "And as for this list," I continue, "like you said, you and I both know the score. There was never any expectation that we had to run together or not run at all. I know we're both okay with this."

"But do you really, Brennan? I know you. You might say this now, and it may take you days or weeks, but at some point, you're going to think back on all this and the choices you've made...don't mind fuck yourself with that shit. Guilt can't be an option for you. If you two are going to survive, your head needs to be completely in the game, one hundred percent," he says.

"I'm not trying to save anyone," I respond. "I'm not that heroic. If I was, I sure as hell wouldn't be leaving my mom and sister behind."

"No, you're just being the man your mom raised you to be. She knows why you joined the Hunters. Grace does, too. You left to save the girl you love. How can they both not be proud of you for that?"

"Cuz that's not true," I sigh, then continue. "It took me losing Maddie to realize how lost I am without her. Life hasn't made sense to me since she left. Not being able to see her face or hear her voice...I'm just...I won't be the one saving her, man. She'll be the one saving me."

Sanders starts to respond but is interrupted when the Jim issued cellphone starts ringing in my pocket. I immediately answer it. "What's up, Jim?"

"Have you located the truck?" he asks.

"Not yet, we're almost there. Why?" I question.

"A small plane that just flew over the area reported seeing a home with smoke coming out of the chimney. It's within ten miles of where Leroy's truck was spotted. Looks like it's the house sitting directly across the field from where you just brought the girls to meet the copter."

"You're fucking kidding me!" I respond. Immediately turning the steering wheel, I skid into a U-turn and haul ass down the road.

"It's protocol that planes flying over the no grid zone are to report any suspicious activity they might see. One of our people inside notified me of the transmission," he replies.

"Thanks, Jim," I respond.

"Good luck, son," he says and hangs up the phone.

"What's going on?" Sanders asks immediately.

"There's a house located across the field from where we just dropped the girls. A plane just spotted smoke coming out of the chimney," I reply as I look over at him with a huge, shit-eating grin on my face. I can't believe this.

"No way, man. No way!" he says in disbelief. Grabbing onto the dashboard with both hands, he looks over at me. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me, bro!" he shouts in excitement.

"Right?" I respond, looking over at him, shaking my head in disbelief. All this time I've been searching for her and she was right there, just across the field from me. What if she's already gone by the time we get there? I can't even ponder that possibility. Plus, it's too cold. They're in for the night. That's why they lit that fire. Not the smartest thing to do. It's like sending out an S.O.S., but an S.O.S. I am fucking thankful for. It has to be her. They ditched the truck and ended up there. The weather would make it hard to travel on foot.

My heart begins to race in my chest as the magnitude of this moment hits me. I can feel the adrenaline begin to pump through my veins. This is it. I'm actually going to see her. I'm finally going to see Maddie.

"So it looks like it's go time, Brennan," Sanders says, pulling me from my thoughts. "Just as we planned, I'll leave my radio in the car and say that you were escorting Maddie to the vehicle while I was in the house with the other two. When you didn't come back, I went out to check, and you, the girl, and the car were gone."

"I think my plan was much better," I respond on a smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"You mean your plan to hog-tie me naked to the guy Maddie's with and gag me? I don't think so you sick bastard. There's something wrong with you, Brennan. You know that, right?" he replies, shaking his head.

"Look, we need to make it look like there was no way you could stop me. How could you if you're hog tied?" I reply, and just the visual makes me laugh. "I'm just trying to help you out, bro," I continue, laughing even harder.

"And the gag? Who does that help, fucker? It's not like anyone would hear me out here in the middle of nowhere," he responds.

"The gag isn't to help you. It's to save the girl...from having to listen to your fucking ass."

"Whatever. I know what this is all about," he replies as he reaches over the seat to grab his vest. "You're worried that once Maddie hears me speak, she, like many others that have gone before her, might fall prey to my charm," he says, pulling his vest on with a smirk. "And you and I both know that even the strongest of women can't fight it, Brennan. They just can't, man," he pauses, raising an eyebrow.

And in unison, we both complete his sentence, while he nods his head yes and I shake my head no, "–they just can't fight the sexy."

Our laughter fades and I say, "Thanks, man," all the lightness from the previous moment already absent from my tone. "For everything," I add. Sanders has become like a brother to me.

"I've got you, Brennan. Just like you've always got me," he replies, holding his hand out. I go in for the shake and that's when I see the house, smoke billowing out of the chimney. "There it is," I say, pointing it out.

When we finally reach the house, I'm out of the car within seconds and running towards the front door. In this type of situation, we should take the time to secure the perimeter and assess any possible threats inside before entering the home. But given the fact that I am mere seconds away from possibly seeing Maddie, I don't give a shit. I've already wasted far too much time when it comes to her. I won't make that mistake again. Never again will she be left with any doubts as to how I feel about her.

Sanders is right behind me as I attempt to turn the knob. As expected, the door is locked, so he immediately hands me a pry bar. I slip the tip of the bar between the seams of the door, right above the lock, and pry the door away from the jam.

The door opens, and I see her lying on the couch. The ache in my chest that's been there since the day she left, finally disappears, but then I see him...his arms wrapped around her body, his legs entangled with hers.

She looks up at me, confusion in her eyes. "Travis?" she asks, with the voice I've been needing to hear for so long. "Is that you?"