Page 26 of Vanished in the Mist (A Mystic Lake Mystery #2)

We’re here. Dawson’s getting ready to head back to town.

Shanna read Kaden’s text then tossed her phone onto the kitchen table and jumped up to put her shoes on.

Last night in Kaden’s arms had been incredible.

Saying goodbye this morning had been torture.

Waiting all day, closed up in the cabin with just her investigative folders and the internet to keep her company, had been a study in boredom.

Normally an investigation got her excited, pumped.

But she’d grown used to Kaden being around. Without him, she’d been…lost.

What that meant to her future happiness once they parted wasn’t something she even wanted to contemplate.

After all, Kaden had warned her. She knew there was no future for them, and agreed that giving up their businesses and moving wasn’t going to happen.

But that didn’t make it any less hard to even think about saying goodbye.

Which was why she refused to think about it right now.

She shoved that unpleasant thought to the back of her mind and hurried out the front door and down the porch steps to the side where the vehicles were parked.

She had a big smile on her face for Kaden.

But his back was to her and it was Chief Dawson who saw her first. His eyes widened, then he grinned knowingly as she forced herself to slow her bouncy steps and dim her smile.

“Hello, Shanna. Good to see you again.”

“Chief.” She barely managed a nod before heading to Kaden. She stopped a few feet away as he turned around.

His mouth curved in a sexy, glad-to-see-you smile. “Hey, there.”

“Hey, yourself. I thought you, um, both of you would never be done with your search. How did it go?”

His smile faded. “Not too well. But it wasn’t a complete bust.”

“What do you mean?”

He motioned toward Dawson.

Dawson leaned back against his SUV. “We found the clearing that Peyton described. Apparently, her group isn’t the only one that has bonfires out there.

I’m guessing the current senior class does as well since there are plenty of signs of recent activity.

Finding something of evidentiary value there is a nonstarter.

But it does corroborate Peyton’s story, which helps with building a chargeable case.

But Kaden’s sonar search didn’t come up with anything, not for lack of trying.

He scanned all over that cove and ended up diving for several hours to check out some of the structures under the water in case sediment had covered up any remains. ”

“What? Kaden, you dove into the debris? Isn’t that one of the main things people say is deadly in that lake?”

Dawson winced. “Didn’t mean to get you in hot water, buddy.”

“I was careful.” He shrugged. “It had to be done. And I’m going back tomorrow.

Tanya has to be there. We know we’re searching the right place.

But it’s a difficult area to search. The sonar isn’t working its magic.

It could take days, maybe longer. I’ll help as long as I can.

But I have to get back to my company by the weekend.

Dawson’s going to put in a request to the Chattanooga dive team if I’m not able to find her before I leave. ”

Shanna wanted to ask him not to go back.

But the reality was that part of the reason she was so drawn to him was because he was such a decent man.

He was losing money being here when he could have been working for a paying customer in Charleston.

And he was donating his time, and lost income, because he felt it was the right thing to do.

How could she fault him for that? Or be angry?

Or ask him to reconsider? Instead, she’d have to trust his expertise and experience to do what needed to be done without getting injured. Or worse.

Maybe she’d call Dawson in a private moment and put the fear of Shanna into him if he didn’t make sure that Kaden came back unscathed from his diving trips.

Dawson exchanged an uneasy look with Kaden.

Shanna glanced back and forth between them. “What? There’s something else?”

Kaden nodded. “The reports coming back from the search at the public boat ramp aren’t encouraging.

Sam and Jack weren’t found, but their cars were.

They’d been parked deep in the woods, off a trail.

Dawson’s theory is that they were forced against their will to go with someone through the woods to the road and taken away in another vehicle. ”

Shanna’s stomach churned at the news. “Someone’s after all of them isn’t he? Peyton’s little clique of friends.”

“It’s getting nearly impossible to think anything else is happening.

The question is who, why, and how do we stop them?

” Dawson glanced at the sky overhead. “We’ve got a couple more hours of daylight.

The state police are bringing in lights and more dog teams to help search through the night.

I’m heading over there once I leave. We have to find those boys before they end up like DeWalt and Cargill.

” He shook his head. “This just keeps getting worse and worse. And once the public hears about Peyton and the others and their involvement in Tanya’s murder, they’ll be putting a paranormal spin on this whole dang thing which will only make our jobs more difficult. ”

“What do you mean?” Shanna asked. “Blame it on the so-called Phantom?”

“That’s one possibility. But I can see them saying that Tanya’s spirit is haunting the lake, taking its revenge.

That’s exactly the kind of story the local kids like to spread around.

Everything bad that happens here is blamed on the lake.

If I don’t find the guy responsible for the murders and disappearances, this episode will go down as yet another part of the legends that overshadow this town.

” He straightened away from his car. “You two be careful, just in case that Warren guy ends up making an appearance. With the run of bad luck we’re having right now, it wouldn’t surprise me. ”

As Dawson’s SUV headed down the road, Kaden scanned the woods around the cabin.

“Stop worrying,” Shanna said. “Troy may be a bully but he’s also a coward. He’s not going to hang around with a policeman close by. Or big, strong Kaden Rafferty.”

He gave her a lopsided grin that had her pulse leaping.

“Big, strong Kaden Rafferty isn’t going take a chance, either way,” he teased. “Let’s get you into the cabin behind a locked door. I want to hear about your progress on the investigation. Got any new leads?”

She grimaced. “Not really. The main thing I’ve been able to do is rule people out, not in. My potential suspect list is woefully short.” She turned to jog up the stairs.

“Shanna! Get down!” Kaden yelled.

She dropped to the ground just before a bright flash of light zipped past her. She stared in shock at the haft of a large knife sticking out of the railing near where she’d been standing.

A loud bang had her whirling around, still on the ground.

“Get in the cabin,” Kaden yelled. “Now.”

He was on the ground a few yards away, wrestling with a man holding a gun.

“Shanna, go!” Kaden yelled, slamming an elbow against the side of the man’s head.

Her fight-or-flight reflexes finally kicked in as she recognized whom Kaden was fighting.

Her ex. Troy Warren.

She took off, leaping up the stairs two at a time, her shoes squeaking on the wood as she slammed against the doorframe, going too fast to make the turn. She grunted at the pain and bolted into the cabin.

The sound of another gunshot outside had her cringing and praying that Kaden was okay. She grabbed her gun from her purse and ran outside, rushing down the steps, not even slowing down as she sprinted toward where the men were rolling around on the ground, close to Kaden’s truck now.

Kaden threw a punch that slammed against Troy’s jaw. Blood flew from his mouth, but he didn’t stop wrestling for control of the gun.

Shanna stopped a few yards away, pointing her gun skyward, waiting for a clear shot.

Kaden caught sight of her and swore.

The distraction cost him.

Troy slammed an elbow against Kaden’s face, and jerked the gun around toward him.

Shanna didn’t have a clear shot, but she couldn’t wait. She fired up in the air. Bam! Bam!

Troy screamed and threw himself against a truck tire.

Kaden grabbed his wrist and wrenched it up against the truck’s frame.

Troy screamed again, blood gushing from where the frame had sliced his wrist. The gun went skittering across the ground.

As Kaden scrabbled forward to grab it, Troy took off toward the woods, cradling his wounded hand.

Shanna lowered her gun, lining up the sights at Troy’s back. Just as she was about to squeeze the trigger, the gun was plucked from her grip.

Kaden swore. “What are you trying to do? Send yourself to prison over that sleazeball?”

She blinked, then blew out a shaky breath. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Damn straight, you weren’t. You should have stayed in the cabin, not offered yourself as a target. You took ten years off my life when you came back out here.”

She put her hands on her hips. “A simple thank-you would be fine, instead of a lecture.”

His swear-laced reply had her gasping in outrage. “Kaden Rafferty. How dare you—”

His mouth came down hard against hers as he pushed her back against the side of the cabin. He ravaged her mouth, setting her nerve endings on fire like molten lava. She whimpered deep in her throat and grasped his shirt, desperately trying to pull it free from his pants.

He broke away, swearing again. “You’re dangerous.”

“You’re a tease.”

“For the love of… Get in the cabin, Shanna. Call the police and—”

The sound of a siren had both of them looking down the road.

Shanna crossed her arms. “Looks like Dawson heard the shots.”

“Good.” He handed her gun back to her. “You can unlock the door once he gets here. In the meantime, barricade yourself inside. Warren’s wounded but he’s not down for the count.”