A part of him hoped the team wasn’t necessary. That she’d gotten away from Pixie. Out of the visitors center. That he and Eastern would drive up to an empty parking lot.
Fuck, such a big part of him hoped for that. But the second they pulled into the parking lot, he knew that hadn’t happened, because there sat Tilly’s blue Honda.
She was still here. She hadn’t gotten away.
He lifted the gun in his lap.
“I shouldn’t let you go in there—”
“I’m going,” Kayden growled, cutting off his brother’s words before climbing out of the car.
“Thought so.”
Kayden ran toward the entrance to find the door to the center closed but unlocked. He stepped inside. Empty.
“Tilly?” He called her name, but at the silence, ran into her office to find it as empty as the entrance. Shit. He ran back out as his brother stepped inside. “She’s not in here.”
Kayden ran out onto the deck, Eastern’s footsteps echoing behind him. The café door was open and when he stepped inside, he felt raw and open.
Because there, on the floor, was a pool of blood.
“It might not be hers,” Eastern said quickly, hearing the unspoken fears in Kayden’s head. Eastern stepped around him and walked over to the empty wall safe. “Did you know this was here?”
Kayden shook his head. “No, but I didn’t know about the last one that was broken into either.” Suddenly, he spotted something on the floor. He lowered and lifted the cell phone. Tilly’s phone.
Eastern checked around the counter and in the back room before returning and shaking his head. “There’s no one here.”
Kayden stepped back out onto the deck.
If she hadn’t gone back to the visitors center, then she had to have gone up the trails.
When he got to the end of the deck, there were prints in the dirt that went either way. Smaller ones that led into the forest, and larger ones that led toward the street.
“I’ll follow the larger ones,” Eastern said quickly. “Keep your phone on you in case I need to call.”
Eastern took off, and Kayden took a few steps when something behind a tree caught his attention. Frowning, he moved over to it, only to growl when he saw what it was.
Jake. He lay on his back, head bleeding. Someone had hit him.
Shit.
He ran over to the other man and touched his pulse. Alive.
His eyes rose just as Eastern jogged back. “Whoever was bleeding took off in a car they parked under some trees down there.” He looked down, cursing before pulling out his radio and calling for an ambulance.
Kayden didn’t wait for his brother. He took off into the mountains at a run. He needed to find her before it was too late.
CHAPTER 30
“Idon’t know if I can do this.”
Tilly stopped at Pixie’s words, her heart pounding. They hadn’t been walking for long, maybe a couple of minutes, and Pixie had forced them to stick to the cliffside trail, claiming there was less chance someone might find them.
Her ankle throbbed, but she was pushing through the pain, telling herself with every step it was just a little farther.
“Can’t do what?” Tilly asked, trying to sound calm, when in reality, every part of her was in turmoil.
“I barely know you. You could easily turn on me. Hell, you could tell Kayden and Eastern the truth the second we get back.”
