Shane swallows a curse. “It’s a blizzard outside. Visibility is less than ten feet now.” Grimacing, he pulls his ski mask back on. “I’ll look out front.”
Dominic, who’s still wearing his coat and hat, says, “I’ll check out back to make sure they didn’t head down toward the lake.”
Suddenly, everyone who’s not holding a baby races into the foyer and bundles up to face the storm outside.
While they’re getting dressed, the front door opens and in walk Hannah and Killian, dressed for the weather.
“Hey, everyone!” Hannah says as she whips off her scarf and hat. “Sorry we’re late. Our flight was delayed.” She gets a good look at all of our expressions. “What’s wrong?”
“We can’t find Luke and Aiden,” I say. “We think they might have gone outside.”
“In this?” Hannah asks, shocked. “Are you kidding?” She grabs Killian’s coat sleeve. “Come on. Let’s go find some kids.” And the two of them head right back out the door into the blustery cold.
I follow Shane to the front door. I don’t say anything, but I imagine he can read the concern on my face.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find them,” he says. “They can’t have gone far. There’s at least a foot of snow out there. That’ll slow them down.”
I know they’ll find them, but I can’t help panicking inside. My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes. My baby’s outside in this weather. He’s probably scared to death.
“Hey.” Shane pulls me into his arms and cups the back of my head as he murmurs into my hair. “Just sit tight. We’ll find them.”
Swallowing past the painful knot in my throat, I wipe my wet cheeks and nod.
“All right, let’s go,” Shane says. “Everyone pair up and spread out. If anyone finds them, bring them back here and sound one of the car horns five times as a signal for everyone to return to the house.”
The men—all except for Jamie—plus Lia, Jasmine, and Hannah, head out to search for the boys. I watch out the window as the adults disperse from the house, splitting up to search in different directions. They all disappear from view in seconds. Because of the storm, I can’t see anything beyond the front porch.
This property consists of thirty acres, most of which is woods. With the blowing snowfall and the waning light, it would be easy for anyone to get turned around and disoriented, let alone two young kids.
My chest tightens at the thought of Luke outside in this weather. I’m sure he’s cold, probably miserable, and now he’s undoubtedly frightened. Probably Aiden is, too.
My mom joins me at the window and lays her hand on my back. “Don’t worry, darling. They’ll find them. They couldn’t have gotten far.”
“I don’t even know if he’s got his hat and mittens with him, and his scarf.” I check the coat closet to see if he left some of his winter gear behind, but I don’t see any. I guess that’s a good sign.
Annie walks up beside me, holding Emerly in her arms. The toddler, with her thumb in her mouth, is laying her head on hermother’s shoulder. I don’t think Aiden’s little sister understands what’s going on, but I think she senses the adults’ unease.
Annie slips her free arm around my waist. “Don’t worry. They’ll find them.”
Dominic stomps into the foyer, his boots covered in snow. “There are no tracks leading away from the back of the house. They didn’t go toward the lake.”
“Thank God,” Bridget says.
Dominic reaches for the front door handle. “I’ll go join the search,” he says grimly.
My chest tightens.
Luke and Aiden, please be all right.
* * *
After a while and hearing no news, Mom and Bridget coax us all into returning to the great room to sit by the fire while we wait. I can’t relax. My pulse is racing, and my anxiety levels are through the roof. All I can think about is Luke.
Finally, I can’t sit still another moment. I stand and hand Ava to my mom. “I’m going to look out front and see if I can spot anyone.”
When I reach the front windows in the foyer, Annie walks up beside me and lays a gentle hand on my back. I almost laugh because she’s comforting me when she’s pregnant, and I should be the one comforting her.
“It won’t be long now,” she says as she peers into the whiteout. “They’ll find them.”
