by Reus, Katie
He seemed surprised but he held her tight in return. The hug was wordless, something she appreciated. She wasn’t even sure where her head was at right now, was still trying to come to terms with the huge change in her life—his too—and how she was going to handle the future. There were a lot of things she had to think about and decide, and she was certain she hadn’t thought of them all. She hadn’t even told her handler about her pregnancy—and was holding off for now.
“Thank you for coming over here,” she murmured into his chest. Because she knew he’d done it simply because she’d texted.
“Anytime.” She felt a whisper of a kiss against the top of her head before he pulled back. Then he was in business mode. “I’ve got to get back to the station. We’re still ironing out the details for tomorrow.”
“If you want me to come earlier, let me know. Joe’s a former student there, so I have a feeling the school will be very accommodating.”
“I will.” He looked as if he wanted to say more, but after a pause, he simply headed out.
Butterflies were going wild inside her as she watched him hurry down the street. The man had a seriously nice ass—a perfectly sculpted one she’d held onto, bit…ugh. “Just stop it,” she muttered to herself.
Somehow she tore her gaze away from him and hurried back inside to find many sets of curious eyes watching her.
Serenity spoke up first. “What is going on with you and—”
“No way.” Autumn shook her head to emphasize. “Not tonight. Seriously.” She had no idea what to say about what was going on with her and Lincoln. She’d told him she was pregnant because he was the father, but she wanted to wait to tell everyone else until after the first trimester. Or maybe even after she started to show.
Bianca simply snorted but looked back down at their massive to-do list for the festival. “Autumn’s right, we have a lot of work to do.”
Bianca had gotten sort of a reputation as a mean girl, but Autumn found that more and more lately, she really liked the other woman. Especially right now, when she absolutely didn’t want to talk about Lincoln. Soon enough it would come out that she was pregnant with his baby, but not today.
Chapter 15
Rand instinctively tugged on his prisoner’s chains as the sheriff’s van cruised down the quiet highway. It was early, with streaks of orange and pink lighting up the sky. He was getting moved. Again. Apparently his father had actually been able to pull some strings, which surprised him. He’d likely be to his new “home” by lunch.
His father might not have gone deeper into politics as he’d wanted, but the old man had certainly made a lot of money and contacts over the years. He’d also kept a lot of the same friends, even if they didn’t publicly embrace him. Somehow his father just kept getting richer and richer.
Rand still couldn’t believe his mom hadn’t stuck around, hadn’t weathered everything with them. He gritted his teeth as he thought about her, worthless bitch. She’d abandoned Rand, and her own husband. A husband who’d given her an incredible lifestyle.
“Hey,” the guy across the aisle from him whispered.
Rand ignored him. He had no clue who he was, other than he was some pervert who liked kids. No way in hell would he throw in his lot with a loser like that. He hated that they were even in the same van, breathing the same air.
The loser was getting transferred because he’d been attacked multiple times at the previous jail.
Jaw tight, he looked out the window at the passing desert. It was desolate out here, a vast nothingness stretching on as far as the eye could see. Rocks and cactuses were the only things breaking up the scenery. The arms of the slender saguaros curved upward, giving the appearance of hundreds of tall aliens dotting the landscape.
The pedo tried to get Rand’s attention again, jingling his chains, but Rand continued to ignore him. He’d gotten really good at ignoring people over the last decade. He liked to pretend he wasn’t in prison, that he didn’t live in a tiny cell, that his life wasn’t complete shit.
He’d lost everything in an instant. The woman he’d been engaged to had split from him immediately. He’d cheated on her and she’d stayed, but once his life became a scandal, she’d left him for “being a monster”—her words.
He wasn’t sure who she thought she was fooling. She wouldn’t have left him if the scandal had been different. She’d been with him for the lifestyle he could provide her, so he didn’t actually blame her. He would have traded her in for a newer model in fifteen or so years anyway. Or he would have done what his father did before his mother left him—kept a younger woman on the side. That was simply how things worked.
Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the uncomfortable, chipped pleather seat. If he focused hard enough, he could pretend that he was on a beach somewhere, the sound of seagulls in the distance, waves crashing peacefully all around him, no tourists to bother him because it was a private beach.
“No way,” one of the guys up front said, interrupting his daydream. “He’s not signing with them.”
They were talking about football or…something. He didn’t follow sports anymore, didn’t care anymore. Since he’d been tossed into prison, he’d stopped caring about most things. Only a handful of friends had come to visit him, and only in the first year. After that, all had stopped, his former fraternity completely distancing themselves from him. They were just like him though. The difference was, he’d gotten caught, had made a mistake in giving her so many drugs.
The district attorney had tried to make it sound like he’d raped her, forced her. It wasn’t his fault she hadn’t been able to handle partying with him. If she hadn’t wanted to party, she shouldn’t have come to his frat house at all.
Rand realized that his fists were clenched into tight balls, and he forced himself to breathe out slowly. He had to keep a level head, stay focused. He was going to a new prison now. That always meant “new rules”, so to speak. He would have to figure out who was in charge, who to become allies with. He needed to have a certain number of allies. He was glad his father had moved him, while at the same time he dreaded having to start all over again.
“What the hell,” one of the guys up front muttered.
He shifted slightly, leaning forward to see. But there was a big gate separating the two guards from him and the loser next to him. While the guards were up front snacking on stale Doritos, Rand and this loser were chained up in the back.
“It looks like their tire blew out,” the guy in the passenger seat said.
He didn’t know these guys, they weren’t from his prison, but hired drivers. He’d been thinking of them as Fatass and Dumbass. The names were interchangeable since both men were fat-asses.
“What the hell!” the driver, aka Fatass, shouted right before an explosion rocked the air.
Rand jerked wildly under the impact, his head slamming into the window with enough force to rattle him.
Black spots danced in front of his eyes as he tried to hold on to consciousness. Pain fractured his skull as darkness edged his vision. What was that? Gunfire?
He blinked as the vehicle jerked again. Lurching forward, he tried to grab onto the bar in front of him, but the chains restrained him and he slammed into the window again.
He cried out as a wave of blackness pulled him under. He tried to keep his eyes open, tried to stay awake. He could never let his guard down. Could never close his eyes and expect to remain unscathed. That was something he knew well. Something the last ten years had taught him.
That was all Ana Diaz’s fault.
Stay awake he ordered himself, but the darkness sucked him under.
Chapter 16
Adeline chugged the last of her coffee and placed it in her cupholder before getting out of her vehicle. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, sending out streaks of purples and yellows dancing across the cloudless sky. Not surprising, the parking lot at the marina was already packed even this early. She loved that people cared, even as she
hated that this was necessary at all.
Joe was still missing. And with every passing hour, it seemed more and more like something terrible had happened.
She tugged on her hiking backpack-cooler combo and by the time she made it to where everyone was gathered on one of the docks, her gaze was immediately drawn to Mac. His jaw was tight, his arms crossed over his chest as he talked to a petite brunette wearing cargo pants and a tank top. She vaguely recognized the woman, thought she might work in marine life rescue or something in one of the local labs.
“Hey.” Serenity sidled up next to her, a to-go coffee cup in hand. Steam curled off the top, little wisps of white twisting into the muggy air. Lucas was right next to her, holding a matching cup. Somehow the man looked wide awake this early.
She smiled at both of them. “Hey guys. I didn’t realize you were coming too,” she said to Lucas, because she’d known her friend and business partner had been coming. He ran a successful construction company that was always busy.
“Yeah, my mom’s getting Harper off to school today so we got here as early as we could.”
His mom, Louise, was always helping out—she’d been after Lucas to make his move on Serenity long before they’d finally gotten together.
“Louise is going to be up here as soon as she gets her to school,” Serenity said, leaning her head on Lucas’s shoulder.
Adeline was glad her best friend had given Lucas a chance. The two of them were a sweet couple, and of all people, Serenity deserved some damn peace and happiness in life.
Feeling as if someone was watching her, she glanced over and made eye contact with Mac. He’d always been kind of brusque with her until yesterday afternoon. He murmured something to the woman he was talking to and hurried over to them in long, even strides. He had on jeans, a flannel shirt—of course—and a permanently worried expression.
Lucas and he clapped hands quickly in a sort of “guy handshake” before he lasered in on Adeline. “You want to ride with me?”
Though she was surprised by his question, she nodded. “Of course. I’ll do whatever I can to help. How’s Dylan holding up?”
He glanced over his shoulder, and she followed his gaze to where his other brother was talking to a friend, his hands shoved in his pockets. Joe’s girlfriend Marcy was with him too, her eyes puffy and red. “Okay I think. He’s riding with Lincoln.”
“We’ll find him. He’s going to turn up at a friend’s place, or…” She cleared her throat, because she knew life wasn’t like that. Life had taught her that the hard way. Going against her instinct, she reached out and squeezed his arm gently. “We’ll find him.” She certainly hoped so.
He simply nodded, holding her gaze for a long moment before Lincoln interrupted everyone.
“Everyone, thank you for coming out today!” he called out using a bullhorn. “We found Joe’s boat just an hour ago.”
She sucked in a breath at Lincoln’s words, and a quick glance at Mac told her that he’d already known.
Oh God. That couldn’t be good.
“We’ve figured out who is going where so we don’t cover the same area twice. Everyone will work with a buddy. Two or more people together at all times. We’ve also called in aerial help, so don’t be surprised if you see a helicopter overhead.” He started going over details as she broke away with Mac, heading toward his little boat.
Lucas and Serenity were joining another local fisherman, so she gave her friend a quick wave.
It had been a little cooler this morning, so she’d brought a light windbreaker, and her backpack was full of snacks and water just in case. She never wanted to get stranded somewhere. Mac had clearly done the same thing, she saw as soon they got into the fishing boat. His duffel bag was bigger than hers, and he had a separate cooler and first-aid kit.
There wasn’t much to say as he started the engine and steered away from the dock, so she sat in the front as he maneuvered through the connected waterways, heading to wherever Lincoln had designated that they search. She didn’t fish or anything but she had been out on a few different boat rides with friends over the years. Usually to go skiing out in one of the bigger lakes, and occasionally kayaking along some of the creeks. But she sure as heck wasn’t a pro.
It was clear that Mac knew exactly what he was doing, however, as he expertly steered through some hanging underbrush into what turned out to be a wider part of one of the creeks. She’d never been this deep into one of the side creeks before and had assumed that this area was a dead end.
“Did the cops find anything in Joe’s boat?” she asked as he slowed, steering around the jutting roots of cypress trees. His engine was a gentle hum, and she could hear others nearby, though she couldn’t see anyone.
“His cell phone,” Mac said quietly, the fear in his eyes real. “A lifejacket, though not his. It looks like it was maybe an extra one.”
So his phone was in there and his lifejacket was missing? She bit her bottom lip and turned away from him, scanning the creek bank, looking for any sign of Joe. If he’d fallen overboard, she really hoped that at least he had his lifejacket on. She knew Joe could swim but still, if something happened and…
She didn’t want to let her mind go down that path. Life could be changed in a split second, something she knew well. She carried the scars to prove it.
But she didn’t want any more pain for Mac’s family, no more loss. They’d already lost their parents. It just seemed so damn unfair to lose more.
She continued scanning as he drove, the silence not awkward, more companionable than anything—except for the dark cloud hanging over their heads.
At the sound of a cell phone ringing, cutting through the quiet morning air, she shifted against her seat.
Mac answered. “Yeah?”
She sat there waiting, trying to read his expression as he listened to whoever was talking. Then she turned away, not wanting to miss anything onshore. The water was low compared to what she was used to in the afternoons, the tree roots visible and extending like long, spindly fingers into the water.
“No, his is blue and green,” Mac said to whoever was on the other line. After a few more grunts, he hung up.
She looked at him expectantly.
“They found an old lifejacket on a tucked-away beach, but it’s not his.”
She didn’t respond because she wasn’t sure what to say, so she kept looking.
As the creek opened up into the river, she continued scanning, looking for anything that didn’t belong.
For the next twenty minutes they were silent, both of them searching in vain, it felt like. The waterways around Verona Bay were vast—she’d looked at a map on Google Earth last night and seeing it from an aerial view had been overwhelming. The blue lines had been fat and slender in places, covering a wide swath around the entire region.
“There!” Her heart jumped into her chest as she spotted a pop of color against brown. “I can’t tell what it is.” She stood, leaning forward as she tried to make sense of the bright turquoise tucked against a tree root.
Mac increased the speed as she leaned over even more. Blood rushed in her ears as she squinted against the rising sun glittering off the surface. Maybe it was just a beer can or—
Oh God, a sneaker. And it was Joe’s. She recognized the distinctive turquoise and yellow combination.
Mac must have seen it too, because he cursed as he angled them toward the roots, pushing his boat through as far as he could. The trolling motor revved up water, but the boat was stuck on something.
He was trying to free it but it was taking too much time. Without thinking, she tugged off her shoes and jumped off the front of the boat. Cold water slapped her in the face, soaking through her clothes as she submerged.
“Adeline!”
“It’s not deep!” Her feet brushed the bottom as she hurried forward, half-swimming, half-walking over the sand.
She heard him curse behind her, then heard the breaking of branches as she got closer.
&nbs
p; Her heart rate stuttered when she saw the outline of Joe’s jeans.
He was on his back, floating in a very shallow marshy area by the creek’s riverbed, almost completely hidden from sight. “He’s here! No, no, no,” she muttered to herself as she splashed forward, scrambling through the water. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, the water like sandbags holding her back as she tried to hurry faster, faster. As she reached his body, there was a splash behind her as she crouched down in the mud and muck. His lifejacket was hooked onto a twisted root and he had a bloody gash on his forehead. His skin was pale with a bluish tint. Oh, God.
Joe…
She tested his pulse as Mac slammed down into the water next to her, sending out waves in all directions. “He’s alive,” she said quickly, relief swamping her. “His pulse is faint and thready.”
Wordlessly, Mac lifted Joe into his arms, ripping the lifejacket free from the root in a split second.
She hurried behind him, wading back through the brackish water to reach the idling boat. Her heart was a wild beat against her chest as she climbed over the side.
“I need to get him warm and check him for more wounds.” Mac shoved his phone at her as he pulled out a Mylar blanket. His expression was tight, his movements economic. The weather wasn’t unnaturally cold, but the creek water Joe had been in, had been chilled, likely from a natural spring. And there was no telling how long he’d been floating in it.
Adeline took it, seeing he’d already dialed Lincoln. She quickly told the sheriff that they’d found Joe then set the phone down and put it on speaker so he could talk to Mac. She started tugging off Joe’s soaked sneakers, helping Mac undress him down to his boxers. His skin was so damn pale, the blue of his veins visible.