Page 43

chapter

thirty-one

When they reached the school, a small crowd had gathered in the parking lot. Principal Martinez was there, along with two deputies and a handful of parents. Nessie recognized some of them—customers from the bakery, people she’d smiled at and made small talk with, but never really gotten to know.

They all looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and curiosity. She could practically hear their thoughts: Poor thing. That whole mess with the murder suspect? No wonder the kid’s acting out.

The sound of engines made her turn. Three Valor Ridge trucks pulled into the parking lot, and her heart clenched as Jax jumped out of the passenger seat of the first one before it even stopped rolling.

He was dressed in mud-spattered jeans and boots, his shirt still damp with sweat, and she didn’t care.

She threw herself into his arms the moment he got close.

“Hey, shh,” he murmured, smoothing a hand over her hair. “We’ll find him.”

The solid warmth of his chest against her cheek, the familiar scent of sawdust and soap clinging to his shirt—it anchored her, pulled her back from the edge of panic that had been clawing at her throat since the phone call.

She pressed her face into his shoulder and breathed him in, letting herself take comfort in his presence for just a moment.

“Tell me what happened,” he said.

She pulled back, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Some kid was saying things about you, about the murder. Oliver got upset and pushed him. When the teacher tried to talk to him, he just... ran.” Her voice cracked on the last word. “He’s been gone almost an hour now.”

Jax’s jaw tightened, but his hands remained gentle on her shoulders. “Where have they looked?”

“The school searched their grounds before they called me. Some people from town are in the woods now.”

“We need a search grid,” Boone said, and she started at his voice. She hadn’t realized the rest of the guys from Valor Ridge were standing right there.

Boone turned to face the men. “Ghost?—”

“Yeah, I’ll set up a command center,” Ghost said and hoisted the strap of his laptop bag higher up on his shoulder. He looked at the principal with those smoke-gray eyes of his. “Need tables and a place to set up maps, a computer.

“The gymnasium,” Principal Martinez said and started toward the school, her low heels clicking on the pavement. “There are plenty of outlets, and I’ll have the janitors pull out some tables and chairs. I’ll also open up the cafeteria for water and snacks.”

Ghost nodded and glanced at Nessie. “We’ll find him.” Then he followed the principal inside.

Everyone kept saying that, but it was starting to sound like a hollow promise, and hearing it over and over only ramped up her anxiety.

A big man with a long, full beard, a shaved head, and arms full of tattoos approached.

He looked like an outlaw biker who benched pressed semi trucks for fun, and if he hadn’t arrived with Jax and the rest of them, he’d have scared the hell out of her.

But when he spoke, his baritone voice was gentle.

“Nessie, ma’am.” He took off his battered brown cowboy hat and dipped his head, almost like he was bowing. “We’ve never officially met, but I’m Dane McKenna from the Ridge. Everyone calls me Bear.”

She could see why. He certainly looked the part. “It’s nice to meet you, Bear.”

“Wish it was under better circumstances.” He motioned to the truck behind him, where a fluffy black and tan dog the size of a small horse watched from the bed.

“That hairy beast there is King. He’s trained in scent trailing, so if you have anything of Oliver’s, something that smells like him, King might be able to track him. ”

Relief flooded through her so fast it made her dizzy. “Yes, I—his backpack. It’s probably still in his classroom.”

“I’ll get it,” Mariah said, already heading toward the building.

Brandt’s black SUV pulled into the parking lot, and Nessie’s stomach dropped. The driver’s door opened, and he stepped out, his dark suit impeccable despite the wind whipping through the lot.

No. What was he doing here? In front of all these people? Her mouth went dry. If he were here, risking her cover, there had to be only one reason.

“Is this Alek?” The words tumbled out before she could stop them. “Has he found us?”

Brandt’s expression remained neutral, but she caught the slight tightening around his eyes. “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think so. As far as we can tell, he hasn’t left his penthouse apartment in LA.”

She wanted to believe him. God, she wanted to believe him. But the fear that had lived in her chest for four years, the constant awareness that Alek could find them, could take Oliver, was clawing at her throat.

“Who the hell are you?” Jax stepped closer to her, his shoulders tense, like he wasn’t sure if he should fight or pull her behind him. His eyes locked on Brandt with the wariness of someone who’d been blindsided before and didn’t plan to be again.

Brandt’s gaze shifted to Jax, and she could practically see him cataloging details—the mud on Jax’s clothes, the way he stood protectively close to her, the evident familiarity between them.

“And who’s Alek?” Jax asked, this time more quietly, and turned to her. “Nessie, what’s going on? Please, just talk to me. Whatever it is, let me help.”

She looked between the two men. Jax with his hazel eyes full of concern and confusion, and Brandt with his professional composure that couldn’t quite hide his worry.

The weight of too many secrets pressed down on her chest. She couldn’t breathe properly, couldn’t think past the image of Oliver wandering through the woods, calling for her. The explanations would have to wait.

“I can’t—” She pressed her hands to her temples, trying to hold herself together. “I need to find my son.”

Brandt stepped closer, his voice dropping to the soothing, professional tone she remembered from their early meetings. “We’ll find him, Nessie. I’ve got agents coming in from Missoula, and I’m coordinating with local law enforcement.”

The entire world wobbled around her.

“Hey.” Jax reached for her face, his palms rough and warm as they cradled her cheeks. “You’re shaking.”

She hadn’t realized she was until he touched her. Her breath hitched.

“Breathe for me, Ness.” His voice was low and soothing. “Whatever this is, whatever’s going on—I don’t care. Okay? We’ll get through it. We’ll find Oliver.”

Funny how when he said it, it didn’t sound like a platitude. It sounded like the truth.

“But I need you to stay with me, okay, sweetness?”

Her breath caught, and her fingers curled around his wrists, anchoring herself to him. “I’m trying.”

She wanted to collapse into him and soak in his warmth and strength, bask in his promise that everything would be okay…

But then Brandt cleared his throat, and the world came rushing back.

The spell broke.

She drew in a breath, steadied herself, and gently stepped out of Jax’s hold, turning back to the marshal. “The sheriff won’t help.”

“That’s why I called the state police.” Headlights swept over them, and Brandt’s face puckered like he’d bitten into a lemon. “Speak of the devil.”

Sheriff Goodwin’s patrol car pulled up next to them. He looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. His uniform was wrinkled, his belly straining against his belt, and when his eyes found her, they were cold.

“Ms. Harmon,” he said, his voice flat. “Heard your boy took off.”

“He’s seven years old,” she snapped. “He’s scared and upset, and he’s been missing for over an hour.”

Goodwin’s gaze shifted to Jax, and his expression hardened. “Figures you’d show up. Kid probably ran off because he heard what kind of man his mama’s been keeping company with.”

Heat flooded her cheeks, part embarrassment, part fury. She felt Jax go rigid beside her, his hand dropping away from her shoulder.

“Enough,” Brandt said, stepping forward. The command was quiet, but steel lay beneath it.

Goodwin whirled on him. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Someone here to find a missing child, not play politics.”

“I’m not playing anything,” Goodwin said, hitching up his belt. “I’m stating facts. This whole mess started when she got involved with a convicted felon. Now her kid’s acting out, running away?—”

“Shut up.” The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them, sharp and vicious. “Just shut up. My son is missing, and all you can do is stand there and blame me? What kind of sheriff are you?”

Goodwin’s face flushed red. “The kind who knows trouble when he sees it. And, sweetheart, you’re nothing but trouble.”

“Hey,” Jax said, “watch your tone with her.”

“Or what?” Goodwin stepped closer, his hand resting on his belt near his weapon. “You’ll assault another officer? Add to your rap sheet?”

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut. The men from Valor Ridge shifted, closing in behind her and Jax, and Brandt stepped up to her side. This was about to go very, very bad.

“Gentlemen.” Principal Martinez appeared at her elbow, Mariah right behind her with Oliver’s dinosaur backpack clutched in her hands. “Perhaps we could focus on finding Oliver?”

The sheriff sneered but backed off a step. “I’m not wasting resources until I know he’s not just hiding somewhere around here.” With that, he walked back to his cruiser.

“Prick,” Martinez muttered under her breath, then flushed when River burst out laughing. “Sorry. He’s not my favorite person.”

“Is he anyone’s?” River asked. “From what I hear, even his wife don’t like him.”

Bear stepped forward to take the backpack from Mariah, who stared up at him with wide eyes. “Can I have that, ma’am?”

She flushed. “Oh, right. Of course.”

With the bag in hand, he walked back toward his truck. King’s tail started wagging the moment he saw his handler approaching, and the dog jumped down from the bed with surprising grace for something so large.

“How does this work?” Nessie asked, following them. She’d never seen a search dog in action before.

“King will smell Oliver’s scent on the backpack, then follow his trail,” Bear explained, unzipping the bag and holding it open for the dog. “He’s good at his job. If your boy came this way, King will find where he went.”

The dog buried his massive head in the backpack, his tail wagging harder. When he lifted his head, his whole body had changed, alert and ready to work.

“Find,” Bear said simply.

King immediately put his nose to the ground and started moving, weaving back and forth across the parking lot.

Nessie held her breath, watching the dog work.

After a few minutes, King’s head came up, and he trotted toward the edge of the school property, toward the tree line that bordered the playground.

“He’s got something,” Bear said, and Nessie’s heart jumped.

King disappeared into the woods, and Bear followed, calling back over his shoulder, “He’s heading toward the road that leads to the ranch.”

Oliver was trying to get to Valor Ridge, just like she’d feared. But it was miles away, and the storm clouds were getting darker by the minute.

“Come on,” Jax said, his hand finding hers. “We’ll follow in the truck.”

But she hesitated and glanced back at Brandt. He nodded. “Go. I’ll wait for the staties to get here.”