“I’m fine.”
“With me,” he clipped.
I bit back my retort as I grabbed my gear bag and followed him out to his truck. At least Roan would be quiet on the drive. And he gave me that for a good fifteen minutes. Right until we hit the forest service road.
“You were there for me when I thought I was going to lose Aspen. You kept my head in the game and helped me get her back.”
My throat constricted at the memory of how torn up Roan had been.
He pulled to a stop next to the other vehicles. “I’m going to do the same for you. We won’t let her fall.”
I swallowed down the burning sensation. “Thank you.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “Let’s go get your girl.”
It only took minutes for the team to assemble. Grae and Dad would work the map and coordinate the search parties. Holt paired himself with Nash, Caden, and Clint. I went with Roan, Daniels, and Maddie. The rest of our group formed the other teams of four.
Shadow barked, happy to be out in the snow, no matter the circumstances.
Maddie grabbed my arm. “Law, look.”
She pointed through the dark forest. I didn’t see it at first but then a glimmer of silver peeked through the underbrush—Damien’s SUV.
Hope surged. “We move now,” I clipped. “He’s close. Dad, call in a crime scene team to process the truck.”
He jerked his head in a nod, and we took off.
My team and Holt’s were sent to the caves to the west. We made the mile-and-a-half trek in fifteen minutes, even in the snow. There were four cave openings, and Shadow sniffed the air, pulling Maddie toward the one on the left.
“Our girl has a scent,” Maddie said quietly.
Holt and I shared a look.
“You want everyone in that cave or split up?” he asked.
My gut twisted. Splitting up would mean covering more ground, but Shadow was rarely wrong. “We stick together.”
“Smart,” Holt agreed.
We started toward the mouth of the cave but stopped dead when a scream tore through the air.
50
HALLIE
The scream caughtin my throat as Damien shoved me to the ground. I swallowed it down, but as I looked up at him, I saw the hint of pleasure in those green eyes. Pleasure at inflicting pain.
Something jolted in me. “Your eyes. They’re green.”
He laughed, but everything about it was wrong. “I’m not a moron, Halston. I took precautions. Just in case there was a clever little birdie like you. Colored contacts are easy to procure.”
But Damien wasn’t using them now. He wasn’t even trying to hide his identity from law enforcement. It meant one of two things. He was either delusional or planning for neither of us to make it out of this alive. Maybe both.
Damien strode back toward the entrance and picked up something he’d leaned against the wall.
My stomach bottomed out at the sight of the long metal stick with a red handle.
He grinned down at me. “Just a little reminder for you to behave.”
