Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Sawyer was fighting hard to retain control of his temper.
His SEAL training kicked in giving him the almost supernatural ability to find a calm amid a raging storm. Losing his head wouldn’t help anyone right now.
It sure wouldn’t find his sweet girl.
“She’s just… gone?” he asked again, though he was speaking more to himself than anyone else in the diner.
Next to him, Quinn nodded.
Joe was there, along with Doc Worden who’d come to help upon hearing the news Amber was missing. Word traveled fast in a town as tiny as Big Cedar. Others had shown up, too, and were out searching.
It was Marsha who answered. “I ran over to the bank and when I got back, there wasn’t any sign of her. All I found was… this.”
She pointed to something behind the counter. Sawyer walked over so he could see what it was.
“Shit.”
“What?” Quinn asked.
Reaching down, Sawyer picked up the two pieces of Honey and held it up. “A guy named Donnie has her. He’s from Oklahoma City.”
“How do you know?”
“He ripped her stuffie in two the day she left. I sewed Honey back up. I think this is a signal. She’s telling me who took her,” Sawyer explained.
The sheriff looked at Marsha. “What time did you leave for the bank?”
“Reckon about three.”
“And you got back thirty minutes ago,” Quinn said.
Sawyer checked the clock. “Meaning they’re most likely well on the road to Oklahoma City now but only have about an hour head start.”
Quinn nodded. “I can pull security footage from any business in town that has a camera. Maybe we can see the make and model of the vehicle and I can put out a statewide call.”
The door opened and the three firefighters, Cane, Walker, and Austin walked in.
“No sign of her,” Cane said, clearly pained to deliver such awful news.
“She’s not here,” Sawyer replied. “I think she’s being dragged back to Oklahoma City. A jealous wannabe boyfriend.”
By now, some of the Littles had come into the diner after searching town, hearing the scary news.
“What? We have to do something! Daddy!” Alyssa cried, running up to Quinn and grabbing his arm.
“We are, sweetie. Don’t worry. We’ll find her,” he assured her.
“I’m going,” Sawyer said.
“You know where this guy lives?” Quinn asked.
“Nope. But I know his name. Donnie Bradley. I can search property records. It’s all online. Trust me. I was intelligence back in my SEAL days. I hunted down terrorists and druglords. Some asshole thug—excuse my language, girls—won’t be an issue.”
Alyssa, Janie, and Mindy all dipped their heads, indicating the language didn’t offend them.
“I’ll call the Oklahoma City PD,” Quinn said, “and let them know what’s going on. But I’m going to level with you, a ripped stuffie is awfully slim evidence. They’ll never give a warrant off of that. At best, they’ll look him up and do a welfare check. Assuming they have any clue which Donnie Bradley it is. There’s got to be a few in a city that large.”
“I appreciate it,” Sawyer replied, already striding to the door. “But I’ll get to her before they do.”
“Sawyer—”
He turned around and looked at Quinn. “Don’t bother telling me to leave it for the cops. You know I won’t.”
Sawyer was wondering how Quinn would take it and was relieved when the sheriff smiled. He liked Quinn, but he wasn’t about to listen to his advice when his Little girl’s life was on the line.
“I was just going to say I’m going with you,” the sheriff said.
“Count me in,” Cane added.
“Count all of us in,” Austin said. “Except you Littles.”
The Daddies all nodded in agreement.
“Let’s go to the city and show ‘em how mountain folk do things,” Austin said.
Despite the grim circumstances, Sawyer smiled. He nodded and added, “Let’s roll.”