Trace stepped out of the interrogation room on the right, his head hanging. He spoke softly. “Kid knows nothing about her disappearance. I believe him. He was quick to tell us he met with her in the stairwell on Wednesday, though. In fact, he waited for her there and ambushed her—”
“What?” Logan’s voice wasn’t as soft.
Trace nodded. “To talk to her. To warn her that many people were not in favor of her new job’s existence and wanted her to turn it down.”
“Are you serious?” Logan asked. “And you believe him? How do we know he didn’t kidnap her himself and hide the body?” He shivered. “I mean, where was he when we were asking everyone in the building if they’d seen her?”
“He was in the library. Says he was there all morning. He has at least five alibis who can place him in the library.”
“Fine. So he wasn’t working alone,” Logan gritted out. “That little turd was the first to run around spreading rumors about Zachary last year when he saw him with Laurie and Corbin at the resort.”
Trace nodded. “I’m aware of all that, Logan. But I’m telling you it’s not him. That’s why he came forward. He’s nervous and thinks his pastor and some other parishioners might have something to do with her disappearance. Why bother to come forward at all if he had anything to do with this?”
“To cover himself?” Logan proposed.
Trace shook his head. “Look, I know you want to blame someone and find Amanda as quickly as possible, but I’m telling you my gut says Caleb Parker isn’t involved other than having been instructed by his damn parents to let the church know she was applying for the job. When he saw her on campus, he waited for her to warn her of his church’s involvement. He followed her a few times, and that was the end of his role.”
“Can I talk to him?” Laurie asked.
Trace stared at her a second and then nodded. “Sure,” he muttered.
Logan grabbed his brother’s arm. “If anyone can feel the kid out, Laurie can.”
“What I know,” Trace added, “is that I can’t do anything legal with her gut instincts.”
Logan’s blood boiled. “And you would let Amanda die somewhere because you don’t want to deal with whatever Laurie has to say?”
Trace narrowed his gaze, his face turning red and his teeth clenched. He jerked his arm free of Logan’s grasp and leaned in closer. “You know I would do anything to find Amanda. And I’m doing it. So back off and let me do my job.” Trace nodded at Laurie and motioned for her to follow. He pointed at another deputy on his way out of the room. “Get Pastor Edmund in here for questioning. Send someone to pick him up. And his wife too. And if anyone else is at the church, bring them also.”
The deputy nodded and grabbed his phone.
Melinda stepped up to Logan’s other side. “He didn’t mean it.”
Logan exhaled slowly. “I know.” He ran a hand through his already frazzled hair. “I’m just scared out of my mind, and we have nothing.”
“Has anyone called Mary?” Melinda asked.
Logan nodded. “Trace sent two deputies to speak with her. I’m sure they’ll bring her in.”
“Okay. Laurie can help her.”
“Fuck.” Logan turned around and punched his fist into the drywall next to Trace’s desk, making a huge hole. No one said a word.
When he turned back around, he saw two deputies leading a woman into the office. She looked frantic, glancing around the room and jerking her arm free of the grip one of the deputies had on her.
The man ignored her, wrapped his fingers around her bicep again, and led her into the interrogation room on the far wall.
A moment later, Trace exited the room where he’d been with Laurie and Caleb and entered the second room where Logan could see the irate woman pacing through the glass window. She shot a glare at Trace, who eased into a chair and tapped his fingers on the table.
Logan dashed forward to catch one of the men who’d brought her in. “Steve,” he called as he approached. Steve Fowler turned around. His brow was furrowed in frustration. “Logan.”
“Who is that? Is she related to Amanda’s disappearance?”
“Veronica Miller.”
Logan squinted his eyes. “Veronica Miller… Why do I know that name?”
“She was dating Corbin Archers last year.”
Logan snapped his fingers. “Right.” He remembered her. She was the pissy ex-girlfriend who might have been involved in terrorizing Laurie, Zach, and Corbin after they mated. Couldn’t be a coincidence she’d been hauled into the sheriff’s office today. What was she even doing in Cambridge? She lived on the rez.
“Picked her up sitting in her car at the junior college.”
Logan froze. “Are you shitting me? Does she know anything?”
Steve shrugged. “No idea. She didn’t say much to me. Figured your brother could have a crack at her.” He walked away, leaving Logan standing in his spot for several minutes while he lost his mind watching Trace and Veronica interact.
Finally, Trace came out and headed straight for Logan. “Steve fill you in?”
“Not much. Just told me who she is.”
“She was following Amanda. Don’t think she did anything besides that, though. Says she saw Amanda go into McField Hall and never come back out.”
“Why the fuck was she following her in the first place?” Logan’s head really was going to explode today.
Trace blew out a breath. “Sandhouse.”
“Of course.” Logan thought about punching another hole in the wall.
“I’m calling Corbin now. Could be nothing. Could be something.”
»»•««
Pete Sandhouse stepped into the sheriff’s office in Sojourn and immediately stopped walking when he noticed the commotion across the room. The hairs on the back of his neck rose. The sheriff and Corbin Archers were nearly shouting. Everyone in the room stared at them.
When Sheriff Richards lifted his gaze, he motioned for Pete to join them.
Even the idea that they intended to include him in their heated discussion made him want to turn and go right back out the front door.
Instead, he pasted on his best smile and headed in their direction as they moved into Josiah Richard’s office and then shut the door when Pete caught up.
Josiah turned around, his hands on his hips. “Where have you been?”
Pete lifted both eyebrows. He didn’t like his boss’s tone or the fact that Corbin Archers, the jackass, was also in the room. “On patrol. It’s my job.”
“Can anyone verify that?”
Pete wanted to punch the guy. “What’s this about?”
“Just answer the question,” Josiah continued.
“The two people I pulled over, I suppose.” He glanced at Corbin, who ran a hand through his hair and glared back at him. Asshole.
“A woman is missing. Have you seen any suspicious activity anywhere today?”
“No. Speeders and jaywalkers is about it.” Pete’s blood pressure rose as the sheriff eyed him suspiciously. How dare that fucker accuse him of anything?
Josiah leaned over his desk and set his palms in front of him. “Pete, you have been on my last nerve for months now. If I find out you knew anything about this disappearance or had anything to do with it, your ass is mine. Do you understand?”
Pete flushed, hating the heat that rose on his face was completely out of his control. His hand shook as he met his boss’s gaze. “I can assure you I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“And I can assure you that you know exactly what I’m talking about. So tread carefully. Do not leave this office again today, and don’t move a muscle without telling me first. I suggest you sit down at your desk and think up a better response than what you’ve given me so far.” He righted himself to his full height and lifted a hand into the air. “I’ve had it up to here with your antics.”
Pete stared at the man, fury rising until he thought he might explode. He shot a glance once more at Corbi
n and wanted to wring the guy’s neck. How dare that disgusting son of a bitch get him in trouble while he fucked two other people and chose a lifestyle that put his entire tribe and pack to shame?
Pete turned and left the room. He headed straight to his desk, wishing he could place a call to Veronica. But he was practically under surveillance. There was no chance of checking in with her anytime soon.
»»•««
Sawyer was dying, figuratively and literally. He was trapped in his gear that seemed far more stifling than normal. And the love of his life was missing.
He continued to clear the strip of land they were working on to create a buffer that would hopefully stop the fire from spreading if it got that close.
A crop duster flew low over his head and dropped the familiar red flame retardant up the mountain from where he worked. It was the third attempt.
“Amanda?” he tried to reach her for the billionth time in the last few hours. Nothing. Every second that ticked by made it less likely they would ever find her. And yet, he had to have faith Fate wouldn’t give her to him and Logan just days ago only to take her away so soon.
He squeezed the hatchet tighter and swung again, not breaking pace. He was no good to her dead. So he threw himself into his work while picturing every possible scenario. Wherever she was, she was undoubtedly unconscious since she wasn’t able to respond. Drugged was also an option. And he couldn’t even bring himself to ponder the third.
“Sawyer,” Logan interrupted his pity party, “concentrate on getting that fire out. Let me worry about Amanda. You will do her no good if you don’t come home alive.”
“Find her, Logan. Find her.”
“I will.”
Sawyer could hardly remember the last few hours of work. Monotonous. He was completely out of his body. He adjusted his gear higher on his back, listened to the instructions from his squad leader, and continued working on the firebreak.
The fire was located in the mountain range above the land his family owned and was picking up speed.
“Logan. This is bad. It’s too close to home. Is everyone evacuated? Melinda, Laurie, Rebecca, and their families. I don’t like the looks of this. It’s getting out of control.” He ran with his team as he communicated.
“You mean near the logging site?” Logan asked.
Sawyer almost tripped. “Yes. Dammit. Above it. Closing in. Make sure that’s being cleared too. Shit, I’m sure the department has already begun evacuations from both the site and the homes at the base of the mountain, but please fucking make sure.”
“On it, Sawyer. Go. Do your job.”
Sawyer had to literally turn his mind off in order to work. The mantra running over and over in his head said to get this fire out as a priority. What if it encroached on the homes below? He didn’t give a fuck about the logging site since those bastards were already breaking the law and stealing more than they were allotted from the national forest. Karma.
Fuck them.
But he hated to see his siblings lose their homes down below. It broke his heart. So he concentrated on that reality and worked at a fevered pace.
He had no idea how long he’d been clearing the land to create a firebreak before Logan reached into his mind again. “You okay?”
“I’m here, if that’s what you mean. Okay? No. Alive, yes. Any news?”
“No. The logging site has been evacuated. It would make sense that the reason the spirits were hanging around that area and leading us down the mountain was foreshadowing of what was to come. The crew is all safe.”
“That’s just fucking great. So someone from that fucked-up church must have Amanda. Figure it out, Logan, before I go insane up here.” He cut off the connection before Logan could respond, conserving all his energy for the fierce work in front of him.
The squad leader shouted over the drone of the fire to his left.
When Sawyer lifted his gaze to face the man, he watched his hand signals carefully. They were to retreat a quarter of a mile and switch tactics. They wouldn’t be able to finish this buffer in time. They needed something that would stop the fire from continuing down the mountain.
The service road that wound through the mountain to reach the logging site could act as a firebreak. They would have to move below the site to start that line of attack and spread out to the east and west.
Sawyer ran alongside his crewmembers until they reached the appointed location and began to clear the trees along the section of service road in hopes the fire wouldn’t jump the road. Any equipment left behind at the logging site would be lost, but at least no lives were in jeopardy. And if they were lucky, they would save the homes down below.
“Amanda. Honey. God almighty. Please, answer me. Please.” He kept working at full pace, reciting the mantra over and over.
»»•««
Logan paced outside the interrogation room where Trace had been with Pastor Edmund for over half an hour. What he wanted to do was bust the door down and wring the guy’s neck until he told him where Amanda was. He was suffocating. He needed air. He glanced at the spot where Melinda and Laurie were sitting with Mary, trying to calm her down.
Turning on his heels, Logan stepped outside the sheriff’s office and lowered his head to face the uneven concrete of the precinct’s parking lot. It was in disrepair and sorely needed repaving. He forced himself to focus on this one thing, anything to keep from screaming loud enough for everyone in a two-mile radius to hear.
A gentle moan entered his mind.
At first he thought he imagined it. And then the glorious tone of his mate’s voice. “Logan? Sawyer?” She sounded horrible, groggy and barely recognizable.
“Jesus. Amanda? Oh, baby. God. Where are you?”
Silence.
“Amanda,” Logan screamed into the connection, praying he hadn’t imagined her sweet voice. He leaned over the side of his truck, his hands on the bed, his head dipped. He hoped he wouldn’t collapse.
Finally, the blessed noise again. “Logan. Oh God. Where am I?”
“Baby, I don’t know. Please, help me. What do you see? Help me find you.”
She moaned into his head. “I don’t know. So tired. What happened?”
“Baby, someone must have kidnapped you. From the junior college. Where are you? Please, Amanda. Give me something.”
A pause. And then her faint voice again. “I’m in the dirt. I woke up with my face smashed into a dirt floor. I can’t see anything. The smell…”
“Baby, that’s great. Try to stand. Is there a door? A window?”
Silence again. Logan’s heart ponded nearly out of his chest.
“So small… Like a shed… The walls are tin or aluminum or something… What’s that noise? So hot… I need to sleep Logan…”
“No,” Logan shouted through the connection, “no sleeping, baby. We need to get you out of there. Do you see anyone?”
“No. I’m alone, I think. My head hurts so badly. And it’s so hot. The smoke…”
“Smoke?” Logan froze. “Amanda, did you say smoke?”
He could sense her coughing in his head. Where the fuck was she?
“Amanda. You have to hurry, baby. Can you move?”
“I think so. It’s so foggy. I can’t see anything. It burns my eyes.”
“Find an exit. Amanda, baby. Find the door.”
“Ugh. Locked.”
“What can you see? Describe the shed to me.”
“Small. Rough. It’s so loud outside. Is it storming?”
Loud? The fire. Shit.
“I found a slit. I can’t see much. Is it night?”
“No, baby. It’s still afternoon, but I think you’re in the path of the forest fire.”
“Oh God.” She screamed into his mind, a sound he would never forget in his life. “I can see the flames.”
“Amanda, you have to get out of there. Is there a tool or something you can use to break the door or pry it open?”
Silence. He knew she was frantically looking
around. Her thoughts were coming in stronger now. He could almost see through her eyes. “Nothing,” she shouted. “Logan, I’m going to die in here. Oh God.”
“No.” He held himself rigid. “Baby, you’re not going to die. You hear me? You’re going to get the fuck out of that shed and run.”
“Okay.” Her voice was weaker.
“Lie down on your back and kick the door. Kick it hard with all your strength. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
He held his breath while he waited, flinching every time her efforts reached his senses.
“It’s working.”
Thank God. “Good. Keep going. Kick harder.”
Suddenly a burst of her adrenaline flooded his senses. “I got it. I made a hole. I’m crawling out.”
“Good. What do you see?”
A few seconds ticked by. “Machinery. Heavy equipment. Trees…”
The logging site. Logan slapped his head. Of course. “Run, baby. Run down the mountain in the direction we showed you. The fire is working its way toward you.”
“No shit. Logan, it’s so close. I don’t think I can make it.” He could sense her running, though. Her exertion was evident once again.
“You are going to make it, Amanda. Run. Stay ahead of the flames.”
“Amanda?” Sawyer broke in. “Logan?”
“She’s alive,” Logan said. “Baby keep running. Run hard. Don’t try to speak.” He kept the communication open to include Sawyer. “I think she was in a shed at the logging site. She broke out. She’s headed down the mountain.”
“The logging site?” Sawyer shouted. “The flames are licking at the edges of it now. I can see them just above me.”
“I’m okay. I’m okay,” she communicated. “I see the first marker we left at the top. Need. To. Stop.”
“Hon, no,” Sawyer interjected. “Don’t stop. Keep running. I’m heading your way.”
“’K.”
Logan gripped the edge of his truck so tightly his hands hurt. His heart was beating wildly. Please. Oh God. Please. A hand landed on his back, and he jerked his gaze to find Trace at his side, Melinda and Laurie behind him. Their faces were full of concern.
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