When he finally got to his street, he saw two cars pulled to the side of his driveway, the first being Elle’s, the second a vehicle he’d seen once before—Casper’s black Mazda.
His eyes narrowed on her open door. On the way the Mazda had crashed into her car.
Son of a bitch.
He was scanning the line of trees that bordered his drive when he saw the body. Not Elle’s body—a man’s.
He stopped behind the cars and grabbed his Glock before climbing out. Keeping the gun raised, he eyed the trees around him, searching for any movement or sign that something wasn’t right. When he reached the body, he knelt and checked for a pulse.
There was a heartbeat, but it was faint.
He turned the man over to see Casper.
What the hell was going on? Had Elle shot him? No, she couldn’t have. As far as he knew, she didn’t even own a gun.
He checked her car, spotting her phone. She wouldn’t have willingly left without it. Someone else had been here. Someone who’d shot Casper. But what had happened to Elle?
At the sound of a car pulling into the driveway, he rose and turned his Glock on the newcomer, only to lower it at the sight of Eastern. His brother climbed from the car, his own pistol in hand as he jogged toward Jace.
“Next time, you wait for fucking backup,” Eastern growled as he stopped beside him. “Who is that?”
“Casper White.”
“Dead or alive?”
“Alive. Just.”
Eastern lifted his radio and called for an ambulance before glancing around. “She’s not here?”
“No.”
Eastern’s radio squawked. “Sheriff, a deserted car’s been reported on Flint Matthews’s property. It’s the rental car you were looking into.”
Jace’s gut clenched. Flint’s property bordered his own.
“She’s here,” Jace said, more to himself than his brother as he searched down the drive. “Stephanie’s here and she’s after Elle.” He started to move forward, but Eastern grabbed his arm.
“Wait.”
“She’s in trouble. I’mnotwaiting for backup!”
“I don’t expect you to wait for backup, but we have to besmart. The woman’s armed and not afraid to shoot. We can’t save Elle if we’re dead. We go toward the house from separate directions through the forest. I’ll take the back of the house and check outside first. You take the front, and the second one of us sees her or needs backup, we call for it. Got it?”
“Fine.” He tugged his arm away and started running through the trees, while Eastern went in the opposite direction.
The same questions ran through Jace’s head the entire time he ran toward the house. Was Elle okay? Had she gotten away? How had Casper gotten caught in the crossfire?
He forced himself to move faster, pounding his feet into the earth as branches raked his skin. When he neared the house, he slowed his steps.
Keeping the Glock raised and his eyes moving, he slipped from the trees to the house. He’d deployed on so many dangerous missions. Put his life on the line again and again, but this felt different. Harder. More perilous. Because this was Elle, the woman he’d been in love with since he was a kid. The girl he’dgrown uploving.
His eyes narrowed on the open front door. The long, narrow glass window beside it had been shattered to gain entry. Had that been Elle or Stephanie?
He didn’t make a sound as he slipped inside the front door. The quiet of the house was loud, punching him in the gut and making him question if he was too late.
No. He wasn’t too late. He was here, and so was she. He just needed to find her.
Keeping his back to the wall, he stepped into the living room, searching for Elle or Stephanie. There was nothing.
