Her faith in him made unshed tears burn his eyes. “A lot of good that’s done.”
“It’s done more good than you realize,” she said. “This is the last thing you need to be thinking about right now, but I canceled my flight. You need me here, and I want to help look for Eve. Lily, Becca and I are doing our part and I’ll reach out if we come up with anything. You do the same.”
He should be happy, tell her how relieved he was, but not even her good news could break through the paralyzing terror keeping all his thoughts on Eve. “Okay” was all he could manage to say.
“I love you.” She clicked off, and Reid crushed his phone in his hand.
“Everything all right?” Madden asked.
He blew out a long breath. “Yeah. Tara’s staying in town to help find Eve.”
“That’s good. All help is good help.”
He grunted his agreement and went back to staring out the window. They were close, the entrance to the park only a couple miles away. “Once we get there, I don’t have the first idea where to look.”
“I understand this is personal, but we treat it like any other case,” Madden said. “We follow the clues. Search for signs that could lead to where he might have taken her.”
His heart thundered like a herd of stallions, and he rubbed the heel of his hand over his chest. Madden was right. He had tocalm down, get his head on straight, and attack the problem with logic and not emotion.
They approached the turn to the parking lot, and Reid held his breath.
Madden drove into the empty lot and stopped in the closest spot, letting the vehicle idle.
“They’re not here.” The statement sliced through him like a knife. “No way he could have carried her here from the parade, and there’s no truck around.”
“Shit,” Madden said, slamming his fist against the steering wheel.
Turmoil built in Reid’s stomach until he thought he’d be sick. Needing fresh air, he hopped out of the truck and connected his hands behind his head. He drew in large gulps of air, trying to keep himself from going crazy. He kicked a large rock, which skittered across the cement to land on a wide dirt path. Tire tracks caught his attention.
He gestured for Madden to join him and ran to the trail.
“What is it?” Madden asked.
Reid crouched low, studied the marks. “They look fresh.” He peered down the lane, and an old, rusty truck stared back. Jumping to his feet, he sprinted toward the vehicle, Madden right behind him.
“Eve!” he called, reaching the open passenger door. “It’s empty.”
Madden grabbed his phone. “The license plate matches Tyson’s truck. They have to be close. I’ll call it in, but we need to keep looking.”
Reid sprinted down the dirt path, trusting Madden would stay close. “Eve! Where are you?”
He kept on alert as he moved, his gaze continually shifting as he listened for any sign Eve was nearby. The trail narrowed and spilled into a dense patch of woods until it disappeared. Hemoved through the weeds and past the brush, thorns gripping his clothes and scratching his face.
An outline of dark green nestled against the light green moss surrounding the trees. He picked up his pace, his heart in his throat. His feet pounded over twigs and leaves, and he secured his weapon in his hands as he moved toward whatever was hidden in the brush.
Madden’s footsteps crunched behind him, steadying his nerves. They’d been to war together, been to hell and back. If there was anyone he could trust, it was his best friend.
Slowing, he approached the structure with caution. “Looks like a tent,” he said over his shoulder.
“Might be where Tyson’s been sleeping,” Madden whispered. “Be careful.”
Reid moved methodically to the front of the tent. His pulse raced in his ears, the frantic sound like white noise against the call of birds overhead. No shadows moved against the nylon material from the inside. But she could be in there. He just hoped she was alive.
Finding the zipper, he slowly opened the door and shoved the fabric aside.
The sickening scent of flowers greeted him, the petals strewn across an air mattress. Candid photos of Eve were taped to the walls, and a bottle of champagne sat in a bucket of ice.
He stumbled backward, his hand covering his mouth to keep the bile sliding up his throat from leaking out.
