Page 56 of Falling Stars (Wild at Heart #2)

BAYLEE

Every time someone’s phone buzzes, I panic it’s going to be bad news.

Maverick, Paige, and I are camped out in the reception area of the police station.

“Shouldn’t he know something by now?” I twist my hands in my lap.

Maverick leans forward and drops his face into his hands. “I’m gonna lose my shit if Kira did this.”

I’m too distraught to offer any words of comfort. I can’t even bring myself to ask the most obvious question. I’m guessing he’s doing more rehab here and will be returning to New York.

As I sit on a cold, hard bench, I realize pain is relative. I thought my world was ending when Maverick left. But then some asshole stole Leo, and now my heart is barely beating.

A door down the hall opens, and the sheriff exits. We all stand.

He lets out a sigh when he gets to us. “She says her coat was stolen at the rodeo.”

“Bullshit.” I’m seething, raging, ready to explode .

“I’ve put in a call to the rodeo to see if they have security cameras.”

“How long is that going to take? The longer Leo’s missing, the worse our chances are of finding him.

” I can barely choke out those words, but I’ve watched all those crime shows.

I know the statistics are grimmer the longer you go without finding the missing person.

“And what about Nicole? The suspect had blonde hair. Maybe she’s the one who stole the raincoat. ”

“She was at a cheer event tonight. One of my officers confirmed that for me.” Damn it.

Sheriff Reynolds pats my shoulder sympathetically.

“My advice is to go home and get some sleep. In the meanwhile, I’ll get officers to check on Vera and Rory.

And I’ll let you know if we get any news about your ex. ”

“You’re wasting your time on my employees. They’d never do this. Vera’s been working for us for years, and Rory wouldn’t hurt a mouse.”

The sheriff nods. “Still, it can’t hurt to check. Go home, and we’ll get a jump start first thing in the morning.”

Go home? That’s his fucking advice?

The door behind him opens and a deputy escorts Kira toward us.

“What did you do with Leo?” I shout.

She frantically shakes her head. “I didn’t do anything. I swear.”

I lunge for her, but Mav puts his arm around my shoulders and holds me back.

“What did I tell you about waiting?” the sheriff barks at his deputy.

“Why did you take him?” I yell.

Kira moves toward me. The woman must have a death wish.

The sheriff stops her from coming any closer. Kira looks me straight in the eye as she pleads her case. “I swear I had nothing to do with this. I even called my credit card company on Saturday night because my coat had my wallet.” She turns to her ex. “Mav, you have to believe me.”

He doesn’t say anything, and she starts to cry. “I love you, Mav. I’d never do anything to hurt you like this.”

I can’t breathe.

Because in this moment, I believe her.

And if she didn’t take my son, who did?

The sheriff nods. “The credit cards check out. She closed them last weekend.”

Now we’re back to having no leads except Sean, but I don’t think he’s capable of this.

Was all that stuff about wanting to work things out with me bullshit?

Is he secretly upset about me having custody, and he paid someone to steal Leo?

Because the person on the video definitely looked like a woman.

I can’t wrap my head around the possibility that my ex might be involved.

I feel dead inside, like someone ripped out my heart, and my empty shell of a body is left behind.

We head back to the ranch. I’m a zombie. Paige offers me a sandwich, but I can’t stomach the idea of eating when my son might be hungry.

Mav and I walk back to the camper.

“I believe Kira.” My voice feels like sandpaper.

“If she did this, I don’t know how I’ll ever forgive myself for bringing her into our lives.” He sits at the small kitchen table.

I join him on the opposite side. “I don’t think I can sleep.”

“Not sure I can either, but maybe we should try. It’s tougher to think critically when you’re exhausted.” He glances at his phone. “It’s almost three in the morning. Even if we get a couple of hours, that will help.”

He gets up, and suddenly I panic that he’s leaving. “Will you stay with me? ”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

The voice in my head that’s growing more cynical by the hour whispers, Yet.

I’m too tired to do anything but kick off my shoes and crawl into bed. Maverick rubs the back of his neck. “Bay, do you want me to sleep on the couch?”

I pat the empty spot on the bed next to me. Closing my eyes, I turn my back to him.

My mind keeps racing. I keep thinking about what I should have done. How I should have kept a better eye on Leo. How I should have waited until the next morning to take out the trash.

Mav’s arm wraps around me. “Is this okay?”

I nod, and he pulls me snug to his chest.

For the first time since Leo went missing, my thoughts start to calm down.

Maybe Maverick’s right. Maybe after a little sleep, I’ll have a better idea of what to do.

All night long, I dream about Leo crying.

Bright morning sun shines through the windows when I wake with a gasp. The only thing I can think about are those haunting wails in my nightmares. My baby needs me.

My phone rings, and I lunge for it. ‘Mom’ flashes on the screen. We spoke last night, so she knows what’s going on. She doesn’t bother saying hello. “You need to go to church.”

“To pray?”

“To ask for help.”

Sometimes, I don’t know if she’s doling out mom advice or telling me she has a feeling. By the time I get off the call, I’m still confused. I shake Maverick awake and tell him what my mom said.

Mav rolls over with a muffled groan. “We have to go to a service?”

I struggle to untangle myself from the blanket. “I’m not sure. Possibly? Or maybe we need to go talk to the congregation and ask for their help?”

He sits up next to me. “That’s a good idea. It’s our best chance to talk to as many people as possible. Ask if they noticed anything unusual.” He leans over and kisses the top of my head. “I’ll call my brothers.”

I can’t explain the comfort it brings me to have Maverick home to help me. Maybe we have a shot at finding Leo.

After he gets up, I scroll through my phone, which is filled with missed calls from Sean. I press play.

“Baylee, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say.

I got your messages and calls from the sheriff.

I lost my phone yesterday and found it this morning.

I was visiting my parents in Dallas. I feel like a dumbass for not telling you I was going.

But I’ll be back later today. Do you have any leads?

I’ve been going out of my mind since I heard. Call me back when you can.”

I relay the message to Maverick. “He said he forgot to remove the ‘For Rent’ sign.”

Mav leans against the counter. “Do you believe him?”

“He sounds heartbroken. He said he’ll go straight to the police station when he gets back today and answer any questions.”

I don’t have time to call Sean, so I send him a text that explains our plan to go to church.

Ten minutes later, all the Walker brothers, Paige, and I drive into town.

We arrive about ten minutes after the morning service started, so there’s no parking in the lot. We came in two trucks, so we park on the street and head toward the building.

As we crest the hill, Mav pauses to peer into a car. I join him. There’s baby stuff in the back seat, except it looks like it could belong to any family. Nothing is familiar, but what if there’s a clue here somewhere ?

Mav must have the same idea I do because he shouts to his brothers, “Let’s break up and check out all the cars in the lot. Maybe we’ll find something.”

Paige squeezes my hand. “We’re getting closer. I can feel it.”

I nod and scurry to check out the next vehicle as Maverick and his brothers fan out through the parking lot.

I don’t know what I’m looking for as I scan the cars, but I start running from one to the next, searching the floorboards and back seats… for something. Some windows are tinted, so we have to shield our eyes and press our faces close.

About twenty minutes later, we’re almost to the front of the lot, and I’m starting to panic that we won’t find any clues.

That’s when I lean over to look into the beige town car that’s parked in the front row. It’s spotless. The front only has a coffee mug in the holder by the driver’s side. Then I peek in the back. It’s empty.

I’m about to turn away when something catches my eye on the floor.

“Paige, come here.” My heart races as I shield my face to block out the sun and get a better look.

When she peers over my shoulder, I point at the ground. “Down there. Almost under the seat. What do you see?”

“A baby toy.” Her eyes widen and she turns to me. “Is that the rattle you made Leo?”

“I think it is.” I yell for Maverick, and he and his brothers rush to my side. I point at the toy.

“I can break the window,” Mav says, but Beau shakes his head.

“Then you can’t use that evidence in court. It’s better if we call the sheriff. I don’t want these assholes to get away with this.” Beau dials him and tells him to come to the church parking lot ASAP.

When the cruiser arrives a few minutes later, the service is wrapping up. People are filtering out and making their way to their vehicles.

The sheriff takes a look at the car I’m pointing at, and his brows lift. “That’s the Ashburys’ town car.”

Right then, Nicole and her father, Judd, walk up. He frowns when he sees us huddled around his vehicle. “What’s going on?”

I’m about to lay into him when Mav wraps his arm around me and whispers, “Let the sheriff talk to him.”

I grit my teeth, but I hear what he’s saying. Maybe I shouldn’t go guns a-blazing at the man.

The sheriff nods at Judd Ashbury. “Howdy, Judd. We got ourselves a situation. Maybe you can help us.”