Running a hand down his face, Nate turned and smiled.
“Thank you.” When she yawned, he put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Come on, honey. You need to get some rest.”
Shaking her head, Sarah argued, “I’m fine. I need to stay up in case we find her.”
Damn, she was breaking his heart. The poor woman had been doing whatever she could to help, which wasn’t much.
Keeping herself busy, she’d played the good hostess, making sure they had enough coffee and food to keep them going. Even when Cam, a friend from Sarah’s work, stopped by to check on her, she’d put on a brave face and offered to make him lunch.
Through it all, she’d remained amazingly resilient and positive. But, Nate could tell she was teetering on the edge.
None of the guys had said anything until now, knowing it was her way of coping with everything. But the others were gone, and it was time she got some rest.
“I promise you when we find Gracie, you’ll be the first to know.” Nate purposely didn’t sayif, because it wasn’t a matter of if. Hewouldfind her. “But you’re not going to do your sister, or anyone else, any good if you pass out from exhaustion. At least go lay down for an hour or two and recharge.”
“He’s right, baby.” Kole came up behind Sarah and wrapped his arms around her. Kissing the top of her head, he rested his cheek against it. “You have to take care of yourself.”
“I know, but…” Sarah turned in Kole’s arms. “I just don’t want to miss anything.”
Kole cupped her face. “I swear to you if we get even the smallest hint of where she could be, I will wake you up immediately.”
Nate watched while Sarah considered this. “Promise? Even if it’s…” Her voice broke, so she cleared her throat. “Even if it’s bad news? You swear you’ll wake me?”
Kole gave her a sad smile. “Cross my heart.”
“Okay. But don’t let me sleep too long.” Turning back around, Sarah stepped out of Kole’s embrace to give Nate a hug. “Thank you.”
He squeezed her back. “Don’t need to thank me, honey. Gracie’s one of us, now. And even if she wasn’t, she’s your sister. I’m going to keep doing everything I can to find her and bring her back home to you.” He pulled back to give her a smile. “To all of us.”
Resting a hand on Nate’s cheek, Sarah smiled and whispered, “I know you will.”
Behind Sarah, Kole gave him a nod of thanks then escorted her back to their bedroom. Nate returned to the dining room and began checking on the programs he’d set up to run. He hadn’t gotten any hits so far, but he damn sure wasn’t giving up.
Several minutes later, Kole returned looking nearly as tired and worn down as Sarah.
“How is she?”
He shrugged, then chuckled silently. “She was actually arguing again about how she should be out here doing something to help as she fell asleep.”
Nate grinned. “I’m glad she’s finally getting some rest.”
“Well, the sleeping pill I crushed into the tea I gave her earlier may have helped a little.”
Nate felt his eyes bug out. Keeping his voice down, he half-whispered, “Dude, she is going to be so pissed.” Then, he shook his head. “You know what? Doesn’t matter. I’m just glad she’s finally sleeping. She looked like hell.”
“Watch it, asshole.” Kole’s words were harsh, but his tone held no bite, and one corner of his mouth was curved upward.
“You know what I meant.”
“Yeah,” Kole sighed. “I do.” Stretching his arms above his head, he yawned before sitting down in the chair next to him. “I still can’t believe this is happening.”
Nate hesitated a few seconds before asking his next question. “I hate even thinking this, but is it possible Gracie was involved in something illegal? Could she have gotten mixed in with the wrong crowd back in Maryland, maybe?”
He’d known the answer before he’d even asked the question. But, they still had to consider the possibility.
Kole looked at him like he was stupid. “Gracie? Hell, no. That woman’s a saint. Fuck, you heard her. She even volunteered at the VA hospital on her free-time. How many women you know, especially ones her age, do something that selfless?”
Nate threw his palms up. “I know, man. I just…I had to ask.”
