My tires screeched as I pulled up to the Forest Service station. I swung my truck into a parking spot. Grabbing my phone, I slammed my door with such force, I was surprised it didn’t crack the window.
As I jogged toward the station’s front door, I tried not to focus on the what-ifs, but it was impossible. Was Taylor cold right now? Hurt? Dead? My entire body locked. She couldn’t be. Some part of me was sure that I would feel it if she were. She had to be alive. And I would find her. This wouldn’t end the way Julie’s story had.
I shoved open the door and jerked a chin at the young guy behind the front desk. The kid’s eyes widened at the rage that was clearly emanating from me in waves. “Tuck’s in the conference room. He said to send you back.” The guy’s voice trembled just a little.
“Thanks.” I was already taking off towards the back room.
I pushed open the door without knocking and found Tuck studying a set of maps that covered the conference room table. His head snapped up at the sound of the door. In two strides, he grasped my hand and pulled me in for a tight half-hug. “We’ll find her.” His voice was gruff. He knew how much Taylor meant to me.
I was so thankful for this man who was more brother than friend. I swallowed against the emotion gathering in my throat. “I know we will.” I released Tuck and stepped towards the table. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Tuck knew the woods better than anyone. He was my best hope of finding Taylor. “I’ve been studying where we found the bodies in relation to the surrounding access roads, trails large enough to fit an ATV…anything that would help this guy get around quickly.”
“Find anything?” I couldn’t disguise the hope in my voice. I checked my watch. Time had to be running out. My jaw clenched as an image of Taylor filled my mind, her head thrown back in laughter, blue-gray eyes twinkling in the light.
I needed her with me. Needed a chance to make things right. If I got her back, I swore that I would do what I should’ve done all along: never leave her side. She could push me away all she wanted, but I wasn’t going anywhere.
Tuck drummed his fingers against the wood table, drawing my attention back to the task at hand. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“What do you mean?” I followed the direction of his gaze to a specific area on the map.
“I think we need to check out Pardue’s property again. It’s the only area that has a road that would give the killer easy access to both hiking trails while avoiding the more populated trailheads.”
My muscles tensed. I clenched and unclenched my fists in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure. It didn’t work. “You think it’s him?” We’d had the guy in an interrogation room. Gone at him for hours. I would never forgive myself if we’d had him in our grip and let him go, allowing him to hurt Taylor.
Tuck’s gaze met mine in a hard stare. “I think we need to check it out.”
“You know this is totally off the books, right? If something goes wrong, we could both lose our jobs. Or end up in jail.”
“Don’t be a little bitch.” Tuck slapped me on the back. “Like I’d let you go into this on your own.” His serious stare morphed into a slight grin. “Always trying to steal all the glory. Sometimes, I need to rescue the damsel, too.”
I wanted to smile, but my lips refused the action. “All right. We gotta leave our service weapons. Do you have something else here?”
Tuck snorted. “Who do you think you’re talking to? I’ve got my rifle in my truck, and my Glock in my desk.”
Of course, he did. “Okay, let’s head out then. We’ll take my truck.”
“Control freak,” Tuck called over his shoulder as he headed to his office for his personal weapon.
I was grasping onto any semblance of control I could, even if it was something as simple as being the one in the driver’s seat. Taylor’s face flashed in my mind again, sunlight glinting off her golden strands as she stared out at the ranch. I would get her back.
Tuck reappeared, holding two bulletproof vests. “Better safe than sorry.”
There was a slight twinge in my chest where the bullet had struck. I resisted the urge to rub at the spot. “Not a bad idea.”
Tuck’s jaw tightened. “Are you sure you’re ready for primetime?”
I tore one of the vests out of his hands. “Don’t ask stupid questions.” I would be back on active duty next week anyway, and no one, not a single person on this planet, could keep me from looking for Taylor.
Tuck grunted in response, but I took it as his acceptance. We made our way to my truck and took off for Pardue’s land.
We were mostly silent during the drive. I took the time to go over every single piece of evidence in my mind, every gut feeling and hunch, trying to see anything I might have missed. I came up with nothing.
As we got closer, I glanced at Tuck. “Think we should check out the house first?”
Tuck’s jaw worked as he pondered. “Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“We don’t have a search warrant. We’re not even on duty.”
“Don’t need a warrant if we have probable cause.”
“True.” The idea of hearing a scream had me clenching my teeth together and gripping the steering wheel harder.
I made the turn toward Frank’s house. The tires crunching gravel announced our arrival. There would be no element of surprise here. Hopefully, that didn’t shoot us in the foot. I parked at the front of the rundown cabin, my eyes searching the area. “His car’s here.”
Tuck’s gaze scanned the front of the house. “Don’t see him, though.”
“Let’s go see what we can find.” Tuck and I bumped fists the way we always did before SWAT missions. A routine that had always brought good luck before.