“Understandably frustrated.”
My phone pings, and I pull it out. Hailey’s location appears on the screen when I click the link Ryder sent.
Another message follows.
Ryder: Five clicks.
“This isn’t safe, Mr. Wright,” the sergeant starts again.
I have to give it to the man; he has extraordinary patience. By the look of him he’s nearing retirement, and he’s probably seen it all during many years of duty.
“You don’t know where they are. They could be—”
“I knowexactlywhere she is.” I turn the phone, showing him the red dot pinpointing Hailey’s location. “Every second you stand in my way is another second she’s alone in the dark. You want to help? Start walking.”
I shoulder past him, motioning at Levi to keep up.
“Malik and Frederick!” the sergeant yells, defeat tainting his tone. “You’re going with them.”
Good call.
A part of me thought he’d argue, snatch the phone and send his men. That wouldnotwork out well for him, but apart from patience, the man’s been blessed with common sense.
“You girls stay here,” the dean hijacks Amari and Rachel just as the two cops fall into step with me and Levi.
We walk in silence until we’re on the other side of the lake, four flashlight beams illuminating our way.
A whiteXon one of the trees catches my eye as soon as Levi points out where Hailey entered the forest.
“That’s my girl,” I mutter under my breath, a smile tugging the corners of my mouth despite the gnawing worry in my gut. “Reckless but smart.”
“If they marked their way, they should’ve been able to get back easily,” Malik drawls behind me.
“They must’ve lost the trail,” Frederick replies, then clicks the radio strapped to his chest, informing the sergeant about the markings and telling himwe’re going in.
We pass the line of trees, every flashlight checking left and right to follow theXs that get progressively smaller the deeper we sink.
It takes half an hour before cocky Malik levels his stride with mine. “How did you get her location?”
“A helpful friend.”
He lowers his voice so only I can hear him. “That tracking app...” He motions to my phone. “That’s not standardfind my phone. It’s a bug. Highly advanced.”
Everyone’s suddenly a fucking tech whizz. Malik looks young, fresh in the force, probably barely twenty. He hasn’t had time to learn the ropes. Most old cops have a sixth sense about them, one that helps them gauge who they shouldn’t poke. Rookies lack that sense.
“Observant,” I praise. “Smart, too, I assume?”
He shrugs, feigning modesty, but in the faint glow of our flashlights, his chest expands.
“Smart men mind their own fucking business,” I say, catching his face fall with the corner of my eye.
He clears his throat, ready to spew some bullshit, but my patience is not as vast as the sergeant’s. Especially not right now when Hailey’s alone in the woods.
I know she’s technically not alone with Chloe by her side, but Chloe can’t protect my girl.
“You’re young and eager to prove yourself,” I tell Malik. “But you need to learn how to pick your battles. You think your sergeant didn’t notice the tech? He did, but he’ssmart. He knows what it means and knows it’s safer for him to stay out of my fucking way.”
He doesn’t say anything else, silently mulling over my words, the cogs in his brain whirring while we plod on, the cold night thickening along with the trees.
