Chapter 16
Sully added another full canteen to Elena’s already full pack that she’d dropped on the barn floor. He’d watched while she checked and double-checked her supplies. The backpack would be heavy, but if she was going to be gone a couple of days, she’d need everything in it.
The barn’s overhead lights cast long shadows across the concrete floor. “I’m going in with you.”
Elena shook her head. “I know these people, Sully. They’ll talk to me. If I’m alone. If they see you, they’ll just react like they did last time. No, you can’t come in with me.”
“Then I’ll stay behind you. Out of sight as long as possible.
” He scowled at her stubbornness. “Don’t you get it?
These are the same people who put bombs around the ranch perimeter.
Who shot at us with drones. Who probably tried to run us off the road on the way back from the pharmacy.
” He stepped closer. “You really think I’d let you walk into that alone? ”
“I can handle myself.” She held her hand out for her backpack, but he held on to it. She planted her hand on her hip. “Look, I don’t think it was them. At least not all of them. A select few maybe, but not people like Lindy Grace. I’ll be okay.”
“And what if it’s that select few that you run into? What then?” His hand covered hers, stilling her movements. “We’re partners in this now.”
The barn door burst open. Piper rushed in, her face ashen.
“Ollie’s gone.” She stopped, breathing hard.
“Chris said he checked on her and she was sleeping—or close to it. He went to the conference room to watch the news. We were taking turns, and when I checked thirty minutes later, she was gone. Chris and I searched all over and no trace of her. And I couldn’t call because you guys don’t have a signal and now she could be anywhere. ”
The words hit like a physical blow. “What happened? Where’s Chris? Did someone grab her at the jail?” Sully dropped Elena’s pack.
“He’s out looking for her. I didn’t want to take time to explain to him how to get here.
While he’s searching, I came to tell you.
I called the sheriff on the way here, then stopped at the house looking for you, so I told Maya and Gideon.
They’re going to help.” Piper ran a hand through her disheveled hair.
“The bathroom window was open. I think she climbed out. But . . . why would she do that? She knows the danger she’s facing. ”
Elena abandoned her gear. “How long has she been missing?”
“No idea, but Chris last saw her an hour ago by now. As soon as we realized she was gone, I headed straight here.”
Sully calculated. An hour. If Ollie was on foot, she couldn’t have gotten far. But in these mountains, with the temperatures dropping . . . “We need search teams. Now.” He strode toward the door.
“I’m helping.” Elena followed close behind.
“What about your sister?”
“Frank said she wasn’t leaving until tomorrow, so I have some time.”
“All right then.”
Maya and Gideon met them outside the barn, both in jackets against the evening chill. “I heard. I’ve got everyone back to the main house,” Maya said. “David can start organizing teams.” She spun and hurried back the way she’d come, with Gideon on her heels.
Sully raked a hand over his head and tried to push all the self-blame aside. The memories that wanted to paralyze him.
Think about Ollie.
It didn’t take long to set everything in motion. In the main house, David stood by a large map spread across the dining table, marking sectors with a red marker. Sheriff Donovan, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed, stood nearby along with three deputies.
“We’ve got fourteen official people ready to search,” David said as they entered. “Some of the vets are volunteering too. I’ve assigned sectors based on terrain difficulty. I alerted as many officers as I could on the way here, and they’re passing the word as well.”
Sully leaned over the map. “She’s smart. She wouldn’t just wander into the woods.”
“If she left on her own, it was because she was scared. What triggered that?” Elena asked.
“No telling,” Sully said. “We can worry about that later. Where could she go that she felt safe?”
Elena shrugged. “Here?”
A deputy Sully didn’t recognize entered the room, followed by Gideon.
“Sheriff,” the deputy said, “we found tracks leading northwest from the jail into the woods. But a witness at the convenience store—the cashier—saw a young girl matching Ollie’s description.
She was walking on the road toward the ranch when a truck pulled up.
Ollie got in. This was about thirty minutes ago.
We alerted the agent at the jail, and he said to let you know he was looking. ”
“Good. And she got in voluntarily?” Elena asked.
“Yeah. It was Charlie Stout who picked her up.”
That made him feel better. Charlie had always been known as the town’s Good Samaritan. But his stomach still twisted. She’d run. She was probably scared. And he couldn’t help circling back to the fact that he’d failed her. “I should have stayed,” he whispered.
Elena touched his arm. “We’ll find her. We need to find Charlie and see if she’s still with him. He’s a good man. He’ll keep her safe.”
“What about Chris? Someone needs to keep him updated.”
One of the deputies nodded. “If you’ll give me his number, I’ll head out to where I can get a signal and give him a call.”
Sully gave him the number. “You have Charlie’s number too?”
“No, but I can get it and call him.”
“Perfect. Go. Thanks.”
The man bolted.
“Okay,” Sully said, “we know she was last seen with Charlie, but with these signals still jammed, we need to go search for them. We might find them before he gets the call.”
“Let’s do it,” the sheriff said.
Sully looked around, seeing the roomful of people mobilizing to help, and he was relieved that Ollie was with Charlie, but still . . .
God, I don’t know what to do. I can’t control this. I can’t make the outcome be what I want. Only you can. The realization washed over him. He’d been trying to control everything—Ollie’s safety, Elena’s actions, the outcome of every situation. And he’d failed. Again.
“We’ll find her,” Gideon said, checking his flashlight.
Sully nodded. There was no other option.
“Since the jammers are still active, we’ll use the old methods. The same ones the preppers use.” Sully grabbed a flashlight. “Whistles, flares if needed. Morse code with the lights. Everyone, make sure you have a light.”
“I know these woods,” Elena said, moving to his side. “I’m with you.”
This time, he didn’t argue. Some things were beyond his control, but right now, he could put all his effort into finding Ollie. “Back in the Bronco. If she hitched a ride with Charlie, they could be heading this way. We’ll intercept them.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
Sully drove and Elena scanned the dark road ahead. The headlights cut through the night, illuminating patches of forest on either side. Gideon and Piper followed in the second vehicle.
“There.” Elena pointed. The headlights caught debris scattered across the road, and she leaned forward, the seat belt pressing against her still-bruised torso. “What’s that?”
She squinted, trying to make out details.
Sully slowed the Ford. “Looks like—”
“It’s Charlie’s truck!” Elena jumped out before the vehicle stopped.
The old blue pickup was tilted sideways in the ditch, front end crumpled against a tree. Glass sparkled across the asphalt in the headlights.
“Charlie!” She scrambled down the embankment, ignoring her protesting knee. The windshield had spiderwebbed but hadn’t shattered completely. “Bring the first aid kit!”
Charlie’s weathered face appeared in the gap where the driver’s window had been, his features barely visible in the darkness.
Blood trickled from a jagged cut on his forehead, trailing down his temple and cheek.
His pain-filled eyes found her face in the beam of light that spilled from Gideon’s vehicle.
“That you, Elena?” he rasped, his voice strained and gravelly. He tried to shift position but winced, trapped by the steering wheel. “Thought I might be seeing things. Head’s not working right.”
“Yes, it’s me. Help is here. Don’t move.” She reached through the window and gently touched his forearm. “We’ll get you out.”
Sully appeared at her side, flashlight beam sweeping the interior of the cab. He held the first aid kit in the other hand. “Is Ollie with you?”
“She’s gone.” Charlie coughed. “Two men in a black sedan ran us off the road about ten minutes ago. Came up behind us fast, hit us hard.”
Piper and Gideon joined them.
“What happened to Ollie?” Piper asked.
“I told her to run. At first she didn’t want to, but I convinced her right quick.
She climbed out that way.” He pointed to the open passenger window.
“As soon as she landed on the ground, they tried to grab her.” Charlie winced as Elena touched his shoulder, trying not to hurt him but also needing to see the damage done before they attempted to move him.
“But that girl—she did a sweet move. One minute this fella had her by the arm, next minute he was on the ground hollering. She took off into the woods.” He gestured with his eyes toward the tree line. “Headed that way.”
Elena couldn’t help the short smile of satisfaction at those words. “She used what I taught her.”
“She asked me to take her to the ranch,” Charlie added. “Said she needed to warn you about something.”
“Warn us?” Sully frowned and looked at Piper. “About what? What happened at the jail?”
“Nothing.” Piper shook her head. “It was just the three of us and the night shift guard. Chris said she came into the kitchen for a minute, then went back to her cell. I was on the phone when Chris checked on her, then I did my check thirty minutes later and she was gone.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she pressed her hands to her lips while she gathered herself. “I don’t believe this,” she whispered.