Page 28

TWENTY-EIGHT

U sually Bryce looked forward to his work shift. But then again, he wasn’t usually left out of a once-in-a-lifetime Last Chance party like the Governor’s Ball. And it didn’t help that Penny was there too. Probably looking gorgeous in the red formal gown he’d caught a peek of when Andi had pulled it out of her closet and handed it to Penny.

But like it or not, law enforcement and emergency services were spread thin, and someone had to work the rescue truck tonight. Maybe he wouldn’t feel so useless if he and Olivia had found something when they’d knocked on doors of known militia members and canvassed the area earlier. The whole day felt like a bust.

He stared at the computer on the desk he shared with the other lieutenants. He was about to check his phone for a message when the rescue tones went off. He sprang off the chair and jogged to the bay. Zack met him there.

The dispatcher’s voice called out over the speaker system. “Rescue Squad 5, please respond with extrication for nine-year-old child trapped in a railing. They are conscious and breathing at this time.”

Zack grinned. “What do you think, stairs or playground equipment? I’m guessing playground.”

“Let’s go find out.” Anything to be doing something. Bryce hopped behind the wheel and started the engine. He drove to the address sent to their truck. It was on the outskirts of the town, down a dirt road. The small farmhouse was freshly painted, the yard tidy.

Bryce looked at Zack. “Stairs. Definitely stairs.”

They walked up to the front porch. A woman in a sleek black dress and high heels met them at the door. “Thank you so much for coming. I don’t know how—wait. You’re Coach Bryce, right?”

“That’s me.”

“I’m Gloria.” She showed them inside. “My son is on your baseball team. Martín.”

“Martín is caught?” The little guy was a bundle of high energy. But he was a smart kid too. “How did he do that?”

“You’ll have to ask him. We were on our way to the Governor’s Ball, and the next thing I know…this.” She led them through the entry into the living room, where sure enough, Martín’s head stuck out between elegant iron posts halfway up to the second floor.

No sign of Martín’s usual grin or mischievous smirk today. In fact, Bryce had never seen the boy looking so glum.

“Hey, bud, don’t worry. My friend Zack and I will get you right out.” Bryce set down his toolbox.

“I hoped it would be you, Coach,” Martín said.

“Guess it’s your lucky day.” Bryce winked.

“It wasn’t luck. I know you have Tuesdays off for ball, and I figured out your schedule.” His big brown eyes were starting to show a bit of their usual glint.

Zack chuckled. “You’re smart all right. So how’d you get your head stuck?”

Martín’s mouth clamped shut.

His mother wrung her hands together. “Can you get him out? I don’t care what you have to do to the railing. We’ll get that fixed. Just set him free.”

Within a few minutes, Zack and Bryce pried the bars far apart enough for Martín to slip his head back through. As far as rescues went, this was one of the easiest.

As soon as the boy was back on the first floor, Gloria looked him over and hugged him. “Are you okay?” She kissed his cheek, leaving a bright pink lipstick mark.

“Sí, Mamá. I’m fine.” He wiped his cheek.

Maybe it was embarrassment that had him so quiet. Zack packed up their tools while Bryce tried to reassure his friend. “Everyone gets in a pickle sometimes. I’m glad I was here to help. And that your mom called us right away.”

Martín nodded but didn’t say anything.

Even Gloria looked worried. She knelt in front of her son. “ Mijo, are you sure you’re all right?”

Martín looked from his mother to Bryce and back again. Something was definitely off.

“Why don’t you take these out to the truck. I’ll be right there.” Bryce handed his tools to Zack. As soon as he left, Bryce got down on his knees to be eye level with Martín.

The stitches in his leg pulled, but he ignored them. “It’s okay. You can tell me anything. Did something happen?” He could see the boy getting in trouble and not wanting to tell his mother.

His mother spoke in Spanish. Bryce picked up the gist of it. She was encouraging him to talk.

Releasing a long sigh, Martín finally looked up at Bryce. “Remember how at school you said we should tell someone if we see something dangerous or someone hurt?”

“Yeah? Did you see something?”

The boy nodded. He glanced at his mother, his eyes shimmering as if holding back tears.

“What is it, mijo?” his mother asked.

“I can’t say. He said he would hurt you,” the boy mumbled as he looked at his mom.

“Who?” His mother squeezed his hand.

Martín shook his head.

Bryce laid a gentle hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Hey, no one is gonna hurt your mom. We will do whatever we need to protect you both. If you saw something, I need you to be really brave now and let us know.”

“I saw a bad man hit a boy and a mom.”

Bryce froze. “Where?”

“When I road my bike to Billy’s house. His older brother saw me. He said if I kept my mouth shut I would be fine, but if I said anything to Billy or anyone else, he would hurt my mother. Kill my sister.”

Bryce stood and looked at the mom. “Who is Billy and where does he live?”

“He’s a neighbor,” she said. “By road, you have to go around the fields and their house is a couple miles away, but the boys have a shorter path cutting through our backyard.” Her voice shook. “His older brother Tyler was dating my daughter. Do you really think he would hurt us?”

They both looked at Martín. “Was the boy there, at Billy’s house?” Bryce asked him.

Martín gulped. “A big man—he was bad—he dragged them out of a car and he hit them and put them in the old barn. Their hands were tied up. That’s how I knew he was bad. And sometimes Billy says he’s sick, but I know he isn’t. His dad hurts him.”

Bryce pulled out his phone and found a picture of the governor’s family. “Was this the boy and woman you saw?”

Martín nodded.

Bryce quickly got their address. “I need to call this in right away. Until we know what’s going on, it’s best that you two stay here.”

“Of course.” Gloria’s face paled.

He held out a fist for a bump from Martín. “You did the right thing.”

And then it hit him. “Did you get stuck on purpose?”

The boy paused, nodded.

His mother gasped. “Martín!”

“Don’t come down on him too hard. He’s a hero tonight.” Bryce thanked them and ran outside. He and Zack climbed into the truck.

“What’s going on?” Zack asked.

Bryce told him. “I need to call it in. But Jude, Penny, and the others are busy guarding the governor.”

“Call the governor’s line. See who picks up. Then we can call the cops.”

“Good idea.” Bryce searched online for the number and called.

“This is Jason Woods.”

Guess that would make sense that he would take Governor Noble’s calls. Bryce explained where the Nobles were being held. “Can you read Penny, Jude, and the others in, so they know what’s going on?”

“I’ll take care of it. And…good work, Crawford.”

“Thanks. I’ll call the police and?—”

“Don’t bother. I’ll get it set up. If you can, why don’t you try to get eyes on the place while you wait for the police to show up. Don’t be a hero or anything, but if you can get visual confirmation that would help. Then stand by for support.”

“Sure.” Bryce hung up with Woods and turned to his partner. “Time to go find Governor Noble’s wife and son. They want us to scope it out and be there for additional support.”

“Maybe we should use the bike trail you mentioned. They’ll see us coming if we approach from the road.”

“Good point.”

Bryce and Zack shrugged out of their reflective turnout gear and grabbed their black jackets from the back of the truck instead. They followed Gloria’s directions through the fields to find the narrow bike trail. With the sun setting, the colder air settled down over the grass, causing a misty haze. Soon the top of a barn poked above the hill ahead.

They came to an outbuilding on the far edge of the field. A cluster of trees hid them as they watched the open area in front of them. The big barn stood to the right, a smaller shed and a corn crib beside it. The house sat on the other side of the driveway from the barn. It was an old farmhouse style like Gloria and Martín’s, but it wasn’t nearly as neat and tidy.

Cows bellowed from the barn structure. Piles of junk and old vehicles were scattered around the property as well as more sheds and a detached garage. Plenty of places to hide. But not a soul in sight.

There were no lights in the windows of the house, but a white van with a floral logo sat in front of the house under the big pole lighting up the barnyard. No one milled around. They’d have to move in closer to find the wife and kid.

“I’ll head this way and check out the garage and shed over there by the house,” Bryce whispered. “Why don’t you see if you can find anything in the barn and on that side. Hopefully by the time we’re back the cops will be here.”

Zack nodded and slipped away. Bryce moved from a junk pile of old tires to the shadows of a pickup truck. From there, he scurried to the corner of the garage. He pressed an ear against the side door. Nothing.

He tried the knob. It turned easily in his hand. He slipped in. The smell of motor oil and grass clippings hit him. There was a car covered with a tarp in the middle of the space. Enough light shone in through a high window to show the wall opposite him held shelves full of tools and sporting equipment. No people though. Bryce went back outside.

A noise like footsteps sounded.

“Zack?” Bryce kept his voice low.

After a moment of nothing but lowing cows, Bryce moved toward the house. At the sound of rocks scuffling, he spun around again and came face-to-face with the barrel end of a shotgun.

“What are you doing on my property?” The man holding the gun stood in the shadows, but he was tall and brawny and smelled like he spent his days mucking out the barn.

Before Bryce could answer, the back of his head exploded with pain and everything went black.