by K. C. Crowne
“How am I supposed to be, Ms. Sutter? Caleb is—” I couldn’t even say the words. The guilt hit me hard. I’d lost Caleb. She knew I’d lost him.
“Shh, it’s okay,” she said, reaching out and stroking my arm. “Let’s have a seat over here. I just wanted to ask a few questions, then I’ll be on my way.”
I let her guide me to the sofa. I was eager for her to leave so I could find out what the kidnappers wanted. Ashley started in with the same questions I’d been asked countless times already.
“Tell me what happened.”
I went over everything in detail, as best I could. She took notes, nodded her head, asked question after question. It felt like an interrogation of sorts, and I figured it was only a matter of time before I’d be taken away and locked up for neglect. After all, he was in my care. How could I have let this happen?
“I’m going to talk to Teddy, then be on my way,” she said softly. For a second, I saw a hint of sympathy in her eyes. She felt bad for me.
I wiped the tears away and struggled to breathe. I’d spoken so fast, I nearly hyperventilated. As soon as she excused herself, I stared down at the phone, debating whether I needed to message the person or try to call them back.
It felt like an eternity, but my phone rang.
“Go into the bedroom and shut the door,” the voice said.
I did exactly as I was told, trying not to look suspicious in the process. The deputy inside the house watched me, but I whispered, “Teddy wanted me to lay down for a bit.”
The deputy nodded. “I’ll be right out here if you need me.”
I glanced at his name badge. “Thank you, Deputy Edwards.”
The man, who I actually hadn’t met before, offered a goofy grin. “Please, call me Mike.”
I didn’t return his smile. There was no reason to be smiling at a time like this. I hurried into the room, shutting the door behind me and scurrying to the far end of the room so Deputy Edwards couldn’t hear me.
The phone rang again. I answered and waited for the man to speak.
“I’m going to text you an address. Meet me there in an hour to discuss our arrangements. And come alone. Sneak out the window in the bedroom. Don’t let anyone see you.”
I nodded, even though the man couldn’t hear me. There was a blizzard outside, the roads were probably not clear, but none of that mattered. I’d find a way to get there. To save Caleb. Luckily, I had picked up my car, along with a few things from my house, before we stayed at Andy’s for the night. Otherwise, I couldn’t have done it alone. Not without alerting Grant.
He didn’t wait for an actual response before hanging up. I was already checking the window, making sure the front was clear. Everyone was around back still, so I knew I could make it. I threw back on the layers of clothing and grabbed the keys from my purse. My phone buzzed as I was climbing up on the dresser and pushing the window open. The locks were jammed, but I managed to force them open. The window creaked as it opened, and I flinched, fearing that I might give myself away. The deputy in the living room didn’t come inside, so I figured I was clear.
I slipped out the window, falling and landing in the snow. I was on my back, staring up at the sky. My head was spinning, and I was already frozen. My body ached from the cold. I pushed myself up just in time to see a familiar car pulling into the driveway.
Dammit. Grace and John were back. No one was there to escort them out this time. I’d have to face them. I didn’t have time to deal with their shit, though. I tried to get to my car before they got out of theirs, but they pulled up next to me. I was trapped between my car and theirs as I fumbled with my keys. My hands were shaking from both cold and nerves.
“Piper, where are you going?” Grace’s voice struck something deep inside of me.
I turned on my heels, ready to fight. “It’s really none of your business, Grace.”
“It is my business when you lost Caleb, and now you seem to be running off before we’ve even found him.”
“And what are you doing to help find him, Grace?” I put my hands on my hips and glared at her.
“I didn’t lose him. Just proves you’re too incompetent to care for him. Once he’s found, they’re obviously going to give that boy to me - where he belongs.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled. Don’t let her get under your skin, I told myself. My lower lip was trembling, and I felt my blood boiling inside my veins. She was right, though. I did lose him.
I turned and ignored the rest of her insults, trying not to let them get to me. It didn’t matter what she thought of me. All that mattered was getting Caleb home safe.
I unlocked my car and slipped into the driver’s seat, positioning my phone in the GPS holder and hitting the address. When it popped up, it said it would take thirty minutes to get there. Because it was in the middle of nowhere, I’d have to drive down some backroads that were probably covered in snow. I wasn’t even sure my car would make it, but what choice did I have? No choice at all. I had to do this. I’d freaking walk the entire way if I had to.
I started my car and barely made it out of the driveway. My tires were old and worn down, not good for the snow like Grace and John’s, I guess. I slipped and slid across the narrow country road leading to the more public road into town. That one may have been cleared, though the snow was still coming down hard and it probably wouldn’t do any good to clear it until the snowfall stopped.
Luckily, I was a mountain girl, born and bred. I learned to drive on these roads in worst conditions than this. Sure, it was always in my dad’s pickup truck, but my little Toyota was a trooper.
My wipers couldn’t move fast enough to clear my windshield, so I had to drive at a snail’s pace.
“Come on, come on,” I muttered, gripping the steering wheel so tight, my knuckles were white. I feared it might actually take an hour or longer and didn’t know what the man would do if I didn’t show on time.
My phone buzzed, causing me to jump.
Tabby’s face showed up on the screen. I couldn’t talk and drive, so I cancelled the call. She called right back. She had to be at the daycare since I couldn’t close at the last minute. She’d wanted to be with me, and honestly, I had wanted her to be with me. Now I was relieved that I’d insisted she work instead.
She just kept calling me.
Dammit.
I hit the talk button. “Can’t talk right now. I’m driving.”
I hung up before she could ask any more questions.
The GPS told me to turn right onto the main road, heading out of town. As expected, the main road was a little clearer, but not much. I could only relax a little bit.
I drove for about fifteen minutes, but it felt like hours. The GPS voice caused me to jump. “Jesus.” I spoke out loud, holding a hand to my chest as the voice told me to turn right in two hundred feet.
The road up ahead was even narrower than the one from Andy’s place, and it wasn’t clear either. I took a deep breath and turned, praying I didn’t get stuck. I could barely see where the road began and ended, but I did my best to stay in the center of what I assumed was the path.
As with most dirt roads in Liberty, there was nothing around me. The snow fell harder and thicker, and the trees surrounded the road, almost giving it an eerie feeling. It hit me, at that moment, what I was about to do. I was literally walking into the bad guy’s hands without any backup. He could kill me or do other unspeakable things to me, but I didn’t dare turn around. He’d been watching Andy’s house; he’d have known if I told Teddy or anyone about what was happening. I couldn’t risk Caleb.
The road got narrower and narrower, and my heart raced faster and faster. The trees seemed to slink down around me, devouring the road and everything in its path. I continued on.
“Destination on the left in five hundred feet.”
I couldn’t see anything. I had to trust it. I was close.
As I carefully maneuvered, my phone went off again. Leah was calling this time. I hadn’t told Leah anyt
hing yet, but I had a feeling Tabby had told her by now. I couldn’t focus on talking to them while I was driving.
I only took my eyes off the road for a split second, accidentally hitting answer instead of decline. My tires sunk into a ditch; I’d slipped off the side of the road. There was a steep incline going down a hill, and it felt like I was in a rollercoaster ride as the car flipped sideways once, then twice as I screamed.
“Piper, where the hell are you?” Leah called out on the other end of the line as my world went black.
Chapter 19
Grant
“Fuck this.” I stopped in the middle of the woods, frozen in place.
“Don’t give up, man,” Cyrus said, patting me on the back. “We’ll find him.”
“No, I’m not giving up. Fuck walking around in the snow looking for him. He’s not here,” I said. “Whoever has him, has him somewhere secure. The kid didn’t just walk out of the house himself.”
Cyrus raised his face mask and took a drink from his thermos, cocking an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Sounds like you know something.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” A thought had been weighing on me for some time. I kept pushing it out of my mind because there was no proof. But I couldn’t stop thinking about how Lars Russo had been watching Piper and Caleb. What would he want with the little boy? Maybe Caleb knew too much, saw something he shouldn’t have? “Do you know anything about a Lars Russo?”
Cyrus stopped drinking and stared at me. “You mean that asshole who keeps trying to buy everyone’s property?”
“Yeah, that’s him. I wonder— I mean, Andy’s property is worth a lot,” I surmised. “It’s likely land he wants.”
“Sounds like a stretch, man,” Cyrus said, shaking his head. He mulled it over for a moment. “Then again, his brother was setting fires and causing mayhem to convince people to sell, so not like they’re good, Christian men or anything like that.”
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure he’s behind Andy’s death.”
Cyrus was really paying attention now. I could tell there was something he wanted to say, but he seemed to be studying me instead.
“What if I told you assface Russo owns some property outside of town. He doesn’t want anyone to know about it. Bought it under a shell corporation, you know the drill.”
“How do you know this?”
“I accidentally stumbled on his land one day, thinking it was still abandoned. Man, did I regret that. Men with guns surrounded me in a heartbeat. I thought it was pretty suspicious, the number of guards he had on the land, so I looked into it a bit. Not too hard to find that info when you know the right folks.”
“Can you give me the address, or at least directions? Something?”
“What are you doing, Grant? There’s no solid proof he’s behind it.”
“I just want to check it out, that’s all. It’s probably nothing, but we’re getting nowhere out here. Why not pay old Mr. Russo a visit and see if he knows anything?”
“Shouldn't you talk to Teddy first?”
He had a point. I probably should talk to Teddy, but I had nothing to go off of but a hunch. “Maybe I’ll tell him what’s going on, but I doubt they’ll be able to do much without more proof.”
Cyrus watched me carefully, debating a moment before nodding. “Alright, let’s head over there.”
I put a hand on his chest, stopping him. “No, I don’t want to get anyone else involved. If he didn’t do this, I’m sure as shit not going to be on his good side, and if he killed Andy, he could kill others too.”
“I’m not letting you go alone.”
“Someone needs to keep scouring these woods for clues, and there’s no one I trust more than you.” I’d just met the guy, but we were brothers as far as I was concerned. Different branches of the military, but I respect the hell out of Army rangers - and Cyrus had done nothing but impress me on this search. I already counted him as a friend, and I had few of those.
He wanted to continue arguing with me, but I stopped it. “If I don’t come back, I need someone to push forward with the search. Someone to make them look into Russo. Especially if Caleb isn’t found.”
This was a mission I had to go alone.
Cyrus didn’t want to, but he gave up the address and directions to Russo’s property. I headed back to the house to get in my truck. It would be one hell of a drive, as the snow was coming down thicker than ever.
“Be careful, Grant.”
“You too,” I said, looking back. I was unable to see him through the thick blankets of snow.
It was a long walk back to the house; we’d ventured further away than I’d expected. My leg was hurting like hell. Many people don’t realize that walking with a prosthetic is a lot harder on the body than a regular leg. In this heavy snow? It was exhausting. But I would not give up, no matter how much it hurt. Nothing would stop me from saving Caleb. If anything, the pain was just a reminder of what I’d lost before, and what I could lose again if I fucked up.
I searched for Piper but didn’t see her anywhere. I stopped Teddy and asked.
“She went inside last I saw her.”
I didn’t want Piper to know what I was doing. She would want to join me, and I couldn’t risk her. Luckily, I had my keys in my pocket, so I could avoid going inside. I walked around the side of the house and heard some voices coming from the front. I stopped and listened.
“She has no chance of getting custody of the boy now,” Grace hissed. “Losing him in his own home, with her and her boy toy there? How careless can you be?”
She cackled, which took me by surprise. I stayed back and heard John mumbling but couldn’t make out what he was saying. They were moving away from me. I looked around the corner and saw them walking toward their car.
Piper’s car was gone.
A million red flags went up, and I reached for my phone. I dialed her number, but it went to voicemail. I tried again. Same.
“Dammit, Piper. What did you do?”
It gave me even more reason to check on Russo. I just knew he had to be behind this. I watched as Grace and John got into their car and struggled to pull out of the driveway. Californians, I snickered. They had no idea what they were getting into. They had chains on their tires; someone at the rental car agency likely made sure of that. Next time they visited, if ever, they should look into getting something a bit heavier.
I hurried to my truck, climbing inside while leaving a voicemail for Piper.
“I don’t know where you’re at but call me. I’m worried about you.”
I hung up and entered the address into the GPS. It was about thirty minutes from here in good weather. Not sure how long it would take in the snow, but at least I had a truck meant for these sorts of conditions. Piper’s little car couldn’t go very far. Hopefully she just went into town, but I had a bad feeling she went searching for Caleb too.
I was just about to the main road when my phone rang. I checked, hoping it was Piper, but it was Leah.
I answered, putting it on speaker. “I can’t really talk right now Leah, I’m—”
“Grant, something happened to Piper.”
My heart stopped. “What do you mean?”
“I called her a few minutes ago, but all I heard was her screaming in the background and a crash. Tabby told me about Caleb, but what else is going on?”
“Do you have any idea where she might be?” I asked.
“No, she didn’t say anything. But she was driving.”
I slammed my hands onto the steering wheel, cursing out loud.
“Are you driving, Grant?”
“Yes.”
“You need to be careful. This storm is serious.”
“I’m fine. I need to find Piper. Have you called Teddy? Anyone?”
“Yeah, I called Teddy first. He’s sending guys out to find her. There’s already helicopters looking for Caleb. They’ll look for her as well.”
I didn’t say anything. My worst fears were coming to light. Everyone I love ended
up getting hurt on my watch. I always managed to let them down.
“Grant? Where are you going?”
“I can’t talk right now. Need to find Piper and Caleb.”
I hung up the phone and focused on my driving. Not having any idea where Piper might be, I headed out to Russo’s place. There was a good chance she was out there too, maybe thinking the same thing I was.
Dammit, Piper. Why didn’t you come find me? Why didn’t you talk to me? You shouldn’t have gone alone.
I held firmly onto the steering wheel, staring out into the bleak, white landscape. I had to find them. I couldn’t deal with a loss this big again. It would destroy me.
Ooo000ooo
I turned down the narrow road the GPS directed to me. The trees were thick and blocking both sides from view, their branches heavy with snow. I’d never been down this way even though I’d lived here my entire life. It was too far out of town, and there’d never been a reason to. There was literally nothing but trees as far as the eye could see.
The road began to narrow, and I couldn’t see where the road began and the ditches on the side began. Luckily, I had a pretty big truck with tires that could handle almost anything. The trees parted a bit, with steep drops on either side of the road. That made things a tad bit tricky, but I was used to it. Slow and steady.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of something down below. At first, I discounted it as a tree, but no, it was not the right size or shape. I pressed down on the brake and stopped, staring out the side window.
It was a car, and it looked familiar.
I put my truck into park and climbed down from the cab. I trekked down the hill, careful to avoid sliding. It was steep as hell. The closer I got, the more my heart thundered in my chest. I recognized the mangled car as Piper’s.
“Piper!” I screamed as I rushed for it. I’d forgotten my phone in the truck, dammit. I couldn’t call for help.
I ran to the vehicle and found the driver’s side door. I yanked it open. Thankfully, it was the passenger side that had been destroyed. Piper was still in her seat belt. Blood ran down her forehead, but she was still breathing. She probably had a concussion and maybe some broken bones, God willing, but she was alive.