Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
“Where the hell have you been?” Luke barks into the phone as I limp down the gravel bar, the roar of the creek filling my ears.
I’m breathing hard and my hip is on fire but I’m almost to the truck, with Bruneau trotting alongside me, his coat glossy from the rain.
“They ha—” My voice cracks, and I have to suck in a breath. “—they have Linnea.”
“What?”
My words skip over each other in my rush to explain while remorse and fear rage like a storm inside me. Did I make a mistake retreating to my truck and calling Luke? Should I have gone with CJ instead? How will he rescue Linnea without me if I don’t catch up? What if he starts a war?
“How can you be sure someone from Sons of Eden abducted her?” Luke asks. In the background, a vehicle door thumps shut.
“Fuck, Luke, can we really ignore the possibility? Given all the factors at play. I think Little Elk basin is part of an escape route, and the leaders found out. Maybe they were out chasing another runaway, and saw Linnea dressed an awful lot like a cop. Or saw her work truck and thought it was me coming to bust their balls. They didn’t hesitate to silence Samantha Bowen.
” I have to force her name past my lips because it brings up my worst fear.
The one that’s been nagging at me all this time.
Why did I let Linnie come out here alone?
“That’s the reason I’ve been trying to reach you.
” A burst of radio chatter in the background interrupts him.
“We’ve got a DNA match from that tissue you collected.
Tolbert Browning assaulted and murdered Samantha Bowen, probably with Wayne Gilbert.
And we’ve got Wakefield bragging to Sheriff Thomas about their exploits with underage girls. ”
I stop dead in my tracks. The roaring creek and the pounding rain fill the silence while my thoughts cartwheel end over end.
“Things are happening fast,” he adds. “The team is using your field office in Gibbs to organize an arrest op, with members of our critical incident unit and hostage rescue team on standby. Annette and I are going to try to negotiate with Wakefield. Maybe he’ll release members who want out.
But if they have Linnea, we may need to shift our priorities.
Let me get back to you.” He ends the call before I can get in another word.
I splash across the swollen creek, the icy meltwater soaking my shins. Bruneau and I climb the bank to my vehicle. I know I should stay put and wait for Luke’s call, but I’ve already decided where I’m going. Especially if a specialized tactical team is joining our efforts.
Is minimal harm still on the table? I understand the need for their involvement—and the urgency, but they’re no doubt preparing for Wakefield’s resistance with a giant show of force.
From what Luke has shared, I don’t think Wakefield will allow his flock to scatter.
If anything, he’ll keep them closer. Meaning no one is going to be safe.
If things escalate, the war I’d warned CJ about will become a reality. And everyone in the crossfire is at risk.
After tossing my soaked slicker behind the seat and quickly drying Bruneau with a spare towel so he doesn’t soak the entire cab, I turn the engine and crank the heat.
I’m just pulling a U-turn when my phone chirps.
“Yeah,” I answer while accelerating down the gravel road.
“Rowdy?”
My spinning thoughts grind to a halt. It’s Keo.
“What’s up?” It comes out sharp, but it can’t be helped.
“Umm.” The warmth fades from her tone. “We, uh. Are you okay?”
I take the first bend way too fast and with all the rain, my tires lose traction for a terrifying second. “Did you need something?”
“We were supposed to have dinner tonight.”
My hollow belly gives a hard, cold pang. Fuck! “About that, I—”
“You sound busy. Let’s, uh, talk later?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.” I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I got so good at saying those words to Eliza. Sorry I missed dinner, sorry I woke you up, sorry we’re broke, sorry I let you down. I tried so hard to make it up to her, but it was never enough.
“Be safe.” The softness of her tone only adds to the shame and guilt gnawing at my insides.
I huff an angry breath at the rain-streaked windshield. God I was stupid to think I could avoid a repeat of the past. This right here is proof that I’ll never be free of it. It’s no use wanting someone in my life, something for myself, because it gets ripped from my grasp.
Fuck, it hurts.
But better to stop trying now, before I hurt Keo too. She deserves someone reliable. Someone who puts her first.
Another call clicks on my line. “I have to go.” I don’t wait for her reply and click to the incoming call. “Whittaker.” My tone is rough and impatient, but how am I supposed to stay composed when my world is imploding?
There’s a buzzing silence on the other end.
“Hello?” I check the screen, but it’s just a string of numbers, no ID. That’s not unusual given this doubles as my work line after hours. “This is the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Hotline. Is there an emergency?”
Whoever’s on the other end of the line is whispering something, but with the road hum and the rain, it’s impossible to hear it.
A flash of lighting illuminates the forested road ahead.
I press the phone to my ear. “Can you repeat that?”
“I don’t want to stay here.” It’s still a whisper, but it’s for sure a girl’s voice.
I grip the wheel, my heart pounding into my throat. What child has this number? Why is she whispering?
“You took my spirit sisters.”
Oh shit. “McKenzie and Gweneth?”
Her rushed exhale buzzes in my ears, like she’s holding the receiver close to her mouth. Or maybe she’s crying.
Could she have found my number under Tolbert Browning’s sink?
My mind floods with questions—has she seen Linnea?
Does she know where they’re keeping her?
But the very real danger of a tactical team storming in has me in a chokehold.
“I need you to hide somewhere safe until we can come for you, okay?”
But the line goes dead.
I try Luke’s number, but he doesn’t answer, most likely because he’s on his way to Sons of Eden to try and negotiate. So I fire off a voice memo as I accelerate toward my destination.
Alert the team. I’m going in.