“You go that way,” Addie said, pointing to the left. “And I’ll go there.” She then pointed to the right.
Judson definitely didn’t like that plan. If it was Rowena who had done this, she had killed before and might kill again. Besides, the trail on the right led to the road, which was about a half mile away, and that was their best bet. The kidnapper could have left a vehicle there.
“We go together toward the road,” he insisted, and to save Addie from arguing with him, he took off running in that direction.
Thankfully, Addie followed, staying right behind him. He definitely didn’t want her out of his sight if they were dealing with Rowena. Or any other kidnapper, for that matter. Someone willing to sneak into a foster home and steal kids was probably desperate enough to kill anyone who got in their way.
This part of the trail was just that—a trail—no more than a foot wide in some places, and it was littered with fallen leaves, twigs and rocks. Unfortunately, there was no mud here to showcase footprints, but Judson thought he saw some spots where someone could have stepped.
“Other than Rowena, who might have done this?” Judson asked. “Have you had any run-ins with anyone?”
It wasn’t an out-there question. Sometimes birth parents and family members threatened foster caregivers and social workers.
“No,” she insisted as they kept moving.
“What about the twins’ next of kin?” Judson pressed. “Any threats from any of them?”
“No,” Addie repeated. “Just the opposite. Child Protective Services has located a couple of distant relatives, but none of them is interested in taking the girls. They’re basically wards of the court for now.”
So, an abduction likely wasn’t linked to anything to do with the next of kin. But that left other possibilities. Bad ones. And Judson had to push those aside, too. He refused to even consider that the babies had been harmed.
He stopped when he reached a mudhole, and Judson spotted footprints—headed straight toward the road. That confirmed that Addie and he were heading in the right direction.
Judson paused to send Grace another text so she could get some deputies to that particular part of the road, but he stoppedwhen he heard something. At first, he thought it could be some small animal, so he lifted his head and kept listening.
He heard it again.
And this time he was certain of something. That it wasn’t an animal. It was a baby, and it was crying.
Addie’s gaze sliced to his for just a split second. There was both shock and some relief in her eyes that Judson was sure was mirrored in his.
Without a word, they both took off running in the direction of the baby’s cries, but they’d barely made it a few steps when Judson heard something else. Something that had his stomach twisting.
A car engine.
And it was speeding away.
CHAPTER TWO
Addie ran as if Lily’s and Rose’s lives depended on it. Because they did. The babies could be in danger. Their kidnapper could be fleeing the scene and taking them heaven knew where.
Judson was flat-out running, too, and he raced past her, his arms pumping and his legs moving much faster than hers were capable of doing. Both of them had clearly gotten heavy slams of adrenaline. Both knew what was at stake.
If they didn’t reach the babies in time, they might never see them again.
They might never know who had them or what was happening to them.
The possibility of that ate away at her like acid, and Addie wanted to scream. She didn’t want any child to be put through what had been done to her—abducted and kept hidden away for six years by a woman who had claimed Addie as her own child before the truth had come to light.
No. Addie didn’t want that for these precious babies. And she had to make sure history didn’t repeat itself.
Just ahead, she saw the country road that led to both the town of Renegade Canyon and the interstate, depending on which direction you went. What Addie didn’t see was the blasted car. Where the heck was it? Were they too late? Had the driver already managed to get away?
Still on the move, Judson ran to the end of the trail, coming to a skidding stop right at the edge of the road. His gaze whipped in both directions, and he must have seen someone or something, because he shouted.
“Stop!”
He continued to yell that one-word order, taking out his phone and clicking a photo before he started running again. This time on the road and to the left.
