Chapter Four
Adrenaline pumped through her bloodstream from the nasty confrontation with Wilkes. Vinnie did her best to shake it off and pointed down the short hallway. “This way.”
The house wasn’t large, but it felt positively tiny with Cyrus here.
Always filled with voices and laughter, the silence was oppressive.
The radio wasn’t playing in the kitchen with her mom singing along while she whipped up something delicious.
Adam wasn’t yelling over the noise asking when they were going to eat.
Everything that made a house a home was missing.
Her breath caught in her throat when she entered her son’s room. Unlike most teenagers, she’d never had to nag him to pick up his clothes or clean his space. The bed was made, there were no dirty clothes lying around. A book sat on the nightstand, along with a half glass of water.
“Is this how it was when he left?”
“Yes. Adam is naturally tidy, always has been. The sheriff didn’t believe me.
He thought I’d tampered with the scene, although he stopped short of accusing me of trying to hide evidence.
Wilkes didn’t have any problem voicing his opinions.
” She pointed to the bed. “The note was right there.” She ran her hand over the comforter, a deep gray color only a shade darker than the one on Cyrus’s bed.
Cyrus opened the closet door and peered inside. Here was the only sign of clutter. Shoes were tossed on the floor and a couple shirts were askew on hangers. The leg of a pair of jeans hung out the side of a hamper.
He reached out and touched several garments before rummaging through the hamper and pulling out a shirt.
“If you’re thinking about calling in someone with dogs, we already did that. They lost his trail.”
He brought the shirt close to his nose, inhaled, and tossed it back into the hamper. “No dogs.” He glanced out the window. “We’ve got a couple hours of daylight.”
She was grateful for the longer July days. At least Adam wouldn’t be cold ... wherever he was. “I’m ready to go whenever you are.”
Cyrus shook his head. “I work alone.”
When he started to walk away, she scooted in front of him and blocked his path. “Not this time. That’s my son out there. I’m going with you.”
“You’ll slow me down.” His brutal assessment of her skills hurt. She sucked it up and poked him in the chest.
“You need me. I know where Adam likes to go. You don’t. Try and leave me behind and I’ll just follow.”
He stared at her, gauging her determination, and then nodded. “Get whatever you need. We’re pulling out as soon as I check in with my brother.”
Relieved she hadn’t had to battle him, she hurried down the hallway.
“My pack is in the garage. I just need to change footwear and gather some food and water. Ten minutes.” Leaving him to his call, she raced to her room, kicked off her sneakers, and pulled on her hiking boots.
She was wearing jeans and a tank top. She grabbed a long-sleeved shirt and tugged it on.
Everything else she’d need was in her pack.
Afraid he’d leave if she took too long, she detoured to the bathroom and took care of business before heading to the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter, phone to his ear.
“I’ll text locations as soon as I plot them.
If there’s a camera in the area, I want the feed checked.
No, I’m not telling you how to do your job, Zach.
” His lips thinned. “Just get me the damn information. Anything on the deputy yet?” There was a short break.
“I realize it’s only been ten minutes, but aren’t you the one always claiming no one is better than you? Uh-huh.”
Working fast, Vinnie stuffed granola bars and dried fruit into a bag and filled her canteen with water, all the while listening, or trying to listen, to the conversation.
“I’ll be in touch.” He ended the call and tucked the phone into his pocket. “Ready?”
She spun around, went through the side door into the attached garage, and grabbed her knapsack, which was propped beside the wall. Double-checking the door was locked, she grabbed the bag of food and water. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s go before Deputy Wilkes decides to come back.”
That was the last thing she needed. It would slow them down.
She closed and locked the front door and stuffed the keys in her front pocket.
A curtain twitched across the street. Mrs. Cormack was watching.
That woman had been a thorn in Vinnie’s side since the day she’d gotten pregnant with Adam, predicting doom and gloom for both her and her son.
Cyrus had the back of the SUV open. “You think she’ll contact the deputy?”
It didn’t surprise her that he’d noted they were being watched. There was something about him that warned this was a man not easily taken by surprise.
“Probably. She’s his aunt.” Vinnie tossed her things into the vehicle, pausing by the passenger door to wave at the older lady. She shouldn’t antagonize her, but she couldn’t help herself. “Busybody,” she muttered as she settled into the front seat.
“Where are we headed?”
“Take a right at the end of street. There’s a hiking trail not far from here. It’s one of Adam’s favorite places to go.”
Following directions, they arrived in under six minutes. Getting out, Cyrus scanned the area. This time of evening there was only one other car. He opened the back of the SUV and pulled out a large knapsack.
Not questioning him, she stuffed the food into her own bag before shouldering it and slipping the canteen over her head. “Let’s do this.” She pointed to the main path off to the right, but he shook his head.
“Not that way.” He pointed to the left. “That way.”
“Why?” It was hard going with no path.
Without answering, he headed off. She got the message.
He was in charge. It rubbed her the wrong way, but she swallowed her annoyance.
She’d gone to him for his expertise. Not to mention the searchers had all taken the path and found nothing.
Following, she lengthened her stride. If she fell behind, he’d likely leave her.
For a big man, he silently slipped between the thick underbrush, finding a way where there was none. She followed on his heels, not nearly as graceful. She’d spent her life camping and hiking, but she was a novice compared to this man. Some of the tension inside her eased and hope renewed.
They walked almost an hour, tromping over rough terrain, heading up a rocky hillside. Cyrus stopped and lifted his head. She had no idea what he was looking or listening for, but she did the same, hoping to hear Adam’s voice. Giving a grunt, he veered to the left and kept going.
She bit her tongue, saving her questions for when they stopped. The light was fading, the shadows lengthening. Soon it would be too dark to continue the search.
An hour later she had to reassess her expectations.
The man was a machine, never breaking stride, stopping only occasionally to correct his course.
Vinnie was beyond exhausted, but she’d drop before admitting it.
When she stumbled over the uneven ground for the fifth time, she reached into her pack, found her flashlight, and turned it on.
He spun around, a frown on his face. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the sun has gone down.” She wouldn’t apologize for needing light to see.
He blinked as though he hadn’t realized. “Right. You should make camp here. I want to go on ahead for a bit.”
She shook her head. “We stick together. That’s the deal.” She waved her flashlight, beaming the light in front of him. “Keep going.”
Hands on his hips, he studied her. “Not much farther. Watch where you step.”
“I have been,” she muttered. The last thing she needed was to trip and sprain an ankle, or worse. The muscles in her thighs quivered from the hard hike. She was in decent shape, but she was tried, worn down from a week of searching and not enough food or rest.
If he heard her, he gave no indication, his entire focus on the trail ahead. She admired his single-mindedness on the task at hand. It was no doubt one of the reasons he was successful in his chosen field.
As hard as she tried to keep up, she began to fall behind, struggling to keep going in the dark.
Tired, her attention began to waver. The tip of her boot caught an exposed tree root, and she went down hard on her hands and knees.
Taking a breath, she wiped her palms on her jeans and assessed her condition.
Strong arms slid around her and pulled her to her feet. “You should have told me you were fading.”
“And give you a reason to leave me behind?” She snorted and adjusted her pack. “That’s not happening. Let’s go.”
Towering over her like one of the massive oak trees, she didn’t need a light to know he was scowling. It seemed to be his default setting, at least when dealing with her.
“We’ll camp here for the night.”
As much as she wanted to keep going, it would do Adam no good if she ended up hurt because she was overtired and couldn’t see. Still, she grabbed Cyrus’s arm. “Promise you won’t leave me.”
He brushed his fingers over her cheek before plucking a twig from her hair. “I won’t leave you.” They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Her breathing shortened. She licked her dry lips. He made a sound that was part groan, part growl, and spun away. “Let’s make camp.”
****
Cyrus sat with his back to a tree and watched the slow rise and fall of Vinnie’s chest. She was tucked into her sleeping bag a few feet away. Part of her exhaustion was on him. He’d pushed hard, driven to find his son, but he’d forgotten one basic fact—she was human.
While he’d had no problem navigating the woods in the dark, she’d struggled. Not once had she complained, but her body couldn’t keep up the exertion indefinitely. Rest was the best thing for her. It would also give him time to scout farther afield without having to worry about her.