“Lawson,” he greeted.
“Morning, Bruce. Thanks for coming out.” Thankfully, Sheriff Jenkins and I had a good working relationship. Neither of us was threatened by the other, and we always lent a helping hand when we could.
He didn’t respond to my thanks; instead, he strode toward me. “I think we have a problem.”
Gibson and Nash both glanced in our direction at that.
“Tell me,” I clipped.
“I extended the parameters of the search to a few more counties north and south of us.”
I nodded for him to continue.
Jenkins met my gaze. “Nine more missing persons that fit our profile. Ones that pick up six months after Halston Astor was found. He could be back. Hell, he may never have left.”
39
HALLIE
Luke glancedin the SUV’s back seat. “Are you really going to use all this stuff?”
I grinned but kept my eyes on the road. “We’ve got to make targets and obstacles. And I think I can even make pop-up people we can manually trigger.”
Luke just shook his head. “Drew’s going to freak. He has no idea you’re planning all this. He just thinks people are coming over for cake and to hang out.”
My smile only got wider. I loved that I would get to surprise Drew. That he would feel loved and celebrated. “Fourteen’s a big birthday.”
Luke was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “It’s really nice of you, Hallie. I know I wasn’t stoked about you being here before, but I’m glad you are now. You’re good for us. Good for Dad.”
Cracks spiderwebbed through my chest. “That means the world, Luke.”
His cheeks reddened, and he turned to the window.
“How much homework do you have today?” I asked.
Luke glanced back at me. “Not too much. Why?”
“I was thinking we could pick up sandwiches from the deli on the way home.”
Luke grinned. “Totally. They have epic brownies, too.”
“I never turn down chocolate,” I said with a laugh.
Silence filled the vehicle again, and I took a deep breath. “How are you feeling today? You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But I’m always here if you do.”
Luke toyed with a loose thread on his jeans. “I’m okay. Mostly. I feel like an idiot for believing her, though.”
My fingers tightened on the wheel. “You aren’t an idiot. You thought you could trust her and take her words at face value. I get wanting to have a relationship with all your family members.”
Luke turned curious eyes to me. “Are you close with yours?”
I made a humming noise as I thought about how to answer that one. It brought to mind the half a dozen unanswered texts on my phone from my mom. “I’m super close with my brother, Emerson, and his husband, Adrian.”
Luke nodded. “Sibs are way easy.”
“I agree.” I tapped my fingers on the wheel. “My parents are tougher. I wish we were close, but a lot of the time, it feels like they want me to be someone I’m not.”
A prickle of guilt swept through me as I thought about those unanswered texts. But if the content was anything to go by, she wasn’t interested in getting to know the me I’d become. She’d always want me to be the daughter who played by her rules.
