“Beck—”
“She’s not here, Jess. She’s not fucking here!”
His brother’s radio sounded. “Sheriff?”
“What is it?” Jesse asked, pulling the radio from his belt.
“We just arrived at Rosemary Symes’s address but looks like no one’s home.”
“Break in,” Becket growled.
“Uh, we need a warrant to—”
“Do it,” Becket barked, cutting off the deputy’s words.
Jesse scrubbed a hand over his face. “Just do it, Luke. I’ll cop the consequences.”
“Doing it now,” the deputy said.
Becket turned and spotted Sky’s phone on the counter. When he lifted it, his fingers squeezed it so hard that he almost crushed the thing. She was gone, and he had no way of reaching her.
He wanted to punch his fist through a wall. Anything to divert the pain inside him.
They had just finished one more sweep of the daycare when Jesse’s radio squawked again. “House is empty, Sheriff.”
Jesse cursed. “Thanks for checking, Luke.”
Becket’s heart started to thump loud and hard in his chest. “She’s gone.”
Jesse’s phone rang this time, and he walked outside to answer it.
Helpless. Becket was fucking helpless and blind.
When Jesse came back inside, the look on his face was grim. “Rosemary had a white van registered in her husband’s name, only she doesn’t have a husband.”
So many damn things they should have seen.
Jesse stepped closer. “We’ve got an APB out on the van and Rosemary’s car.Someonewill find them.”
They had to. There was no other choice.
He wouldn’t lose her. He couldn’t.
* * *
A cool breezebrushed against Sky’s face, bringing with it a familiar scent, making her scrunch her eyes tight.
She frowned on her next inhale. Whatwasthat smell? Gasoline…?
One more squeeze of her eyes before she forced them open. Everything was a dark, foggy blur.
She blinked. Once. Twice. On the third blink, things started coming into focus.
Trees. Tall trees surrounded her. And leaves blew in the high wind. She glanced down. Dirt. Why was she lying in dirt?
She tried to push herself up, but something stopped her. Was she bound? And why were her movements so slow and uncoordinated?
Her heart started to beat faster, panic crawling up her throat.
