Buzz knew her revelation was going to change his life, and he knew that ultimately it would hurt him in ways he could only imagine. In ways he’d never, ever wanted.
He felt the shakes descending. Tremors that started in his hands, then spread to his arms, his legs. Simultaneously, he felt the emotions snarling in his gut like a big cat rudely wakened from a deep sleep. Shock. Disbelief. A keen sense of betrayal that cut as jaggedly as any fang. The slow burn of fury spread through him like a flash and for a moment, he grappled for control.
Buzz didn’t have time to feel betrayed. He didn’t have time to acknowledge the fury burgeoning inside him. He didn’t have time to feel anything at all. A hundred questions jammed into his brain, but he shoved them back. He would dig the answers out of Kelly later. Right now, there was a young life at stake. A life he had every intention of saving.
“I want to see him,” he said.
She blinked at him. “What?”
“A picture.” She looked on the verge of shock, but he refused to feel compassion. He refused to feel anything at the moment or risk the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. “Do you have a picture?”
Bending her head, she opened her purse and rummaged frantically inside. An instant later, she produced a three-by-five-inch color photo. “This was taken a couple of months ago.”
Buzz stared at the photo, aware of the low roar of blood coursing through his veins, the hot zing of anger fusing with a throng of pain. He saw a little boy with freckles and dark-brown hair and an impish smile that was crooked and ended with a dimple in his left cheek. He saw innocence and tried not to think of all the terrible things that could happen to a child. In the mountains alone at night or in a world that could be merciless to the innocent.
Moved more than he wanted to be, a hell of a lot more than was wise, he looked away from the photo, then turned away from her so she couldn’t see the emotions he knew were plainly visible on his face. “I’ll want answers later,” he said. “You owe me an explanation.”
“I know I do. Just…after we find him.”
Without looking at her, he snatched up the phone. His fingers trembled as he punched in the numbers to Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue Headquarters.
Senior medic John Maitland picked up on the first ring.
Buzz identified himself, his voice sounding strangely calm. He could hear raucous laughter in the background. The blare of rock and roll. The familiarity of those things gave him a badly needed sense of control, and he held on to it with all his might. “This is a call out. Code Red. I want everyone in house geared up and standing by. I’m on my way. ETA ten minutes.”
“I’ll put out the call to the team.” John hesitated, as if sensing something wasn’t quite right. “What’s going on?”
“A lost boy up at White River. Four years old. I’m going to swing by on my way to the East Ranger Station.”
“White River? I heard the call on the radio. Isn’t that out of our jurisdiction? Boulder One SAR took it—”
“I don’t give a damn about jurisdiction,” Buzz snapped. “We’re on it. Just do it.”
Silence hissed for half a beat. “Yes sir.”
“I want the chopper standing by. A winch team. I want weather reports. Night-vision equipment. Get someone over to the ranger station with a terrain map. I want Jake Madigan and a dozen volunteers on horseback ready for a grid search. I don’t give a damn how many favors you’ve got to call in. Just get me some men. You got that?”
“Loud and clear.”
Buzz slammed down the phone, turned to face Kelly. She stared back, her face ashen. He saw the imprint of her teeth on her lower lip. For the first time he noticed the bruise forming beneath the cut on her temple. The blood had clotted, but the wound still needed to be cleaned and dressed. “You ought to get yourself checked out at the hospital. You could be concussed.”
“No.”
“I can drive you over to Lake County—”
“I’m not going to the hospital. I can’t leave knowing Eddie is out there all by himself. He’s probably scared and hungry and cold…oh, God!”
He stared at her, seeing clearly the terror in her eyes, the torture in her heart. He felt his own version of panic punch him in the chest hard enough to take his breath. “It’s only been four hours. We’ll find him. He’s going to be all right.” He didn’t know that for sure, but he wasn’t going to let his mind go in that direction. He picked up the phone. “I’ll call Chaffee County Sheriff’s Department and have them bring in dogs. You got something with his scent?”
She jerked her head. “The socks he wore yesterday are at the campground.”
“That’ll work.” Buzz made the call to Chaffee County, then dialed the Ranger Station at White River where a search was already under way and told them he would be there within the half hour.