Page 87 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

Where was Sierra and would they find her in time before something tragic happened?

CHAPTER 19

GRANT

Grant’s grip tightened on Julia’s hands as the storm ramped up. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, afraid that if he did, she would disappear.

He tried to take solace in the fact that she had come back. At least for Sierra. It gave him hope that the one relationship his daughter cherished would not be ripped away from her because of his selfish actions.

But it also crushed his own heart. He’d lost the one woman who had meant everything to him. The one woman who would hold his hands when he was at his worst moments and reassure him. The only woman he’d ever met who would think more of him than what he could do for her.

He’d lost her. She didn’t even want to talk about what happened this morning. He imagined it was over for her. In her mind, they’d ended their relationship.

He wondered if he’d pulled her away from Luke. Should he be glad she’d left him to help with Sierra or disappointed that she’d return to him when this crisis passed?

His mind centered on the reason they sat in the police station, to begin with. Sierra was lost, missing somewhere in the midst of this storm.

It tore at his heart as much as the loss of Julia.

Before his mind could recreate the horrible scenarios of Sierra lying hurt or worse as rain pounded down on the ground around her, Julia’s sister entered the room. He had been surprised that the woman had been half-decent to him throughout this ordeal.

He wondered if she’d mellowed since finding out Julia had left him. Though she hadn’t seemed to have known about the argument they’d had.

“So, here’s the situation…”

Before she finished, Julia answered, “That doesn’t sound good.”

She must have picked up on some cue in her sister’s voice. His muscles tightened as he squeezed Julia’s hands again, needing her strength.

“It’s not great.”

His heart sank at the words. What had happened? “What is it? Did they find her? Is she hurt?”

“No,” Alicia answered, “but with the wind, search and rescue can’t put the heli in the air. The rangers haven’t seen her. And on top of that, one of the trails to Hornet’s Ridge is washed out from the downpour, along with a ton of other issues all over the park.”

“What…they’re not going to look for her?” Grant asked, his panic rising.

“No,” Alicia said, “but…it’s going to be a little slow. This storm is causing issues all over town, so we’re a little shorthanded to get people out on this.”

“Is search and rescue sending anyone to Hornet’s Ridge?” Julia asked.

Alicia shot her sister a glance that must have spoken volumes to his wife. “Ally…”

Before Alicia answered, the lights flickered following a massive boom. Lightning smashed into a tree outside, sheering off a large branch and sending it crashing to the ground.

Sierra was out there somewhere in this mess. And they were going to be slow finding her. Maybe by some miracle, she’d gotten home…or somewhere safe.

His hopes were dashed as Ethan arrived at the door. “We’ve had a…development. Are you able to identify this?”

He unfurled the bag he clutched, exposing its contents. Grant recognized the object inside immediately. He struggled to maintain any semblance of composure as his world spun on its axis. “That’s…Sierra’s,” he choked out.

“Hiker found it on Hornet’s Ridge and turned it into the rangers. No sign of your daughter. But we do know wherever she is, she can’t contact us.”

Grant gripped Julia tighter as terror ripped a hole into his heart. She had no way of getting help, even if she needed it.

“So, are they sending someone or not?”

“Y-yes,” Alicia stammered. “Eventually.”